


Falling Slowly

by eowyn628



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:07:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29760084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eowyn628/pseuds/eowyn628
Summary: Nora Munson returns to Charming after being away for years.  She is running from a bit of her past and eventually finds out that the past always finds you.  Along the way, she teaches a broken heart to love again and finds her own little piece of Heaven.
Relationships: Jax/Tara, Opie/OC
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

_"Falling slowly, eyes that know me_

_And I can't go back_

_Moods that take me and erase me_

_And I'm painted black_

_You have suffered enough_

_And warred with yourself_

_It's time that you won"_

_~ Falling Slowly_

Charming, California. I hadn't been back in nearly five years and nothing seemed to have changed, at least on the outside. It was the same small, sleepy town I grew up in. It was as if time froze solid while I had been away at art school in New York. If anything had changed it's me; I was not the same naïve girl. I no longer lived in the bubble that had always shielded me. I learned that my family could not always protect me. I missed them so much, especially my Dad. He had always been my rock; the one I could always count on throughout my life. I needed him more than ever but I couldn't risk telling him. Just having him near would help, at least I hoped.

I pulled my rental car into a parking spot at Teller-Morrow and took a quick glance at the row of motorcycles, hoping to catch a glance of my dad's Harley. Oh, who was I kidding? I had no clue which bike was his; he had told me a while ago he was in the market for a new Harley. So, I was sure he must have gotten an upgrade by that point. Looking was really, more out of habit than anything; before I left I could have named everyone who was at the clubhouse just by the bikes that were parked outside. Now, I had no clue.

As I looked in the mirror, I realized that I was probably going to get shit for my teal hair and septum piercing but I could've done a lot worse to my body or with my life. I could have dropped out of college and became a junky or could have whored myself out like one of the croweaters. Hell, my dad never would have allowed me to do that and I could always remove my piercing and dye my hair back to its natural golden brown color, it was all temporary. Still, the worry was written across my face.

The warm air hit me hard as I got out of the rental. I hadn't realized how much I missed the hot, aridness of the desert. A deep breath filled my lungs, it was so refreshing; the cleansing familiarity of the air washed away all my worries. This was the air I grew up with, this was home. I took one more refreshing breath for good measures before I made my way to the open garage.

He was like a magnet; I was instantly drawn to him and his lean, muscular stature. He was staring intently under the hood of a car with his back to me. I would have recognized him anywhere. Jackson Teller had become my muse during my time in New York, especially when I was having a bad day. I could sketch any of the Sons from memory but I remembered Jax's contours and features the best, even better than my dad. I started to make my way towards him but I was stopped by an employee of Teller Morrow, who I didn't know.

"Can I help you?" The man asked as he stepped in front of me.

I studied him briefly, he wasn't bad on the eyes. He had a slim, but muscular body and sandy blond hair. His eyes were bright blue and full of life. He looked like he was a happy man, dare I say goofy.

"I am looking for Bobby, is he here?" I asked, allowing my eyes to drift past him to Jax, whose attention had turned to us. His eyes locked with mine and he gave me a questioning smile, I could tell it slowly dawned on him who I was.

"Um. No… he's not here now. I think he'll be back tonight for the party." The man stuttered. "You can always come back then."

I nodded. He had no clue who I was, I could have some fun. "Oh…okay. Maybe I will. I mean if you're sure Bobby is going to be there." I was pretty sure that this guy thought I was some piece of ass looking to get tapped. "Is the party here in the garage?" I smirked over at Jax, who raised an eyebrow at me. I was sure he knew I was up to no good. I had always been a bit of a tease and trouble maker when it to guys.

"Oh, no. It's in the clubhouse over there." He pointed at SAMCRO's clubhouse. It still looked the same as I remembered. Like I said frozen in time, I don't think things changed throughout my childhood either. 

"Alright, well maybe I will see you tonight. Thank you…." I paused waiting for the man's name.

"Half-Sack, I mean Kip." He ran his hand through his already messy hair.

"Well, what is it, Half-Sack or Kip?" I quipped; knowing that the club occasionally gave their members nicknames. Just before I had left to go to New York the prospect at the time earned himself the nickname of Juice, which was far better than calling him Juan Carlos all the time. I immediately wondered if Juice had made it full fledge or if he was let go. He was a nice guy, he often let me sketch him; I really liked his smile. If there was one thing I had learned it was nice guys normally didn't make it far with SAMCRO.

"Um…" Kip or Half-Sack or whatever his name was started.

"Prospect, aren't you supposed to be picking up that car at the impound?" Jax hollered at Half-Sack, who had turned to look at him.

I knew it. He was a prospect.

The prospect ran his hand through his hair again before turning back to me. "I'll see you tonight then." He ran towards the tow truck and waved as he drove off.

I couldn't help but shake my head and smile. He was such an enthusiastic prospect. At least he had that going for him. It made me wonder if he was that eager in the sack. Hell, I would probably never find out, he would find out I am a member's daughter and that would be enough to scare him off. That tended to be the reaction of the prospects and the other members of the club. I was off-limits because I was a patch member's daughter. At least I could watch him squirm a bit when he found out who I was. I almost felt bad, wait…no, I didn't.

"Nora, how you doing sweetheart?" Jax's voice pulled me from my thoughts and back into the moment. 

His proximity made my stomach flip. "Hey, Jackson." I turned to face him. "I'm good, now that I am home," I admitted. "What about you, Jax? How are you?"

"Oh, you know same old shit, different day." He smiled. "Your dad, know your home?"

Shit, that smile. That smile made me weak in my knees.

"No, I wanted to surprise him." I smiled.

Jax opened his mouth to say more but he was interrupted by the ringing of my cell. I frowned as I pulled it out of my bag and glance at the caller. It was from Rose.

"I'm sorry Jax, I need to take this call. I'll see you tonight." I quickly turned with no further explanation and I made my way towards my car to find out what was going on with Rose. No need for them to find out what was going on. I hoped now that I was home, New York would stay in New York.

* * *

I couldn't shake Rose's call as I got ready for the party. It had put me on edge and made my dream of a happy homecoming dreary. I was, however, glad that I had left New York when I did; it was the best decision I had made in ages. I really hoped that my mistakes didn't bleed into my life in Charming because nothing good would come from it. I took a long drink of beer as I tried to push the thoughts of my past mistakes out of my mind.

Instead of continuing to dwell on things that I couldn't change, I let my mind wander to Jax. The last time I had seen him things were slightly awkward between us. I had a little too much to drink at my going away party and confessed my feelings to him. I couldn't remember much from that night but that was one _VERY_ vivid part of the evening. After I had spilled my guts to Jax, we kissed. It would have been great had all the alcohol I had drank decided to make a reappearance if you catch my drift. That was the last thing I remembered until I woke up the next morning alone with a raging hangover in Jax's dorm room. I was not planning on vomiting at this party. I was going to try to limit the amount I drank but I really needed to relax a bit and forget. My nerves were on high alert after everything that happened back in New York City.

I looked at myself in the mirror, the teal-haired girl staring back at me was not the same one who was in there the last time I set foot in my childhood home. I am sure my life had not changed for the better albeit, I was stronger for everything that had happened. I was no longer the girl with a flowery outlook on life; I had found out that life was not just rainbow and butterflies and that my family's influence couldn't always save me. I had learned quickly who I was without the club and its protection. I didn't always like the girl I had become. Sometimes life was just easier when you lived in a bubble surrounded by a whole clubhouse of big, bad, overprotective bikers. I would have told that stupid naïve girl that too if I had met her.

The parking lot was full when I finally pulled up to SAMCROs clubhouse. For some reason, I was a bundle of nerves as I got out of her rental. It was strange because I had always felt at home at the clubhouse; I had grown up there. I had always referred to most of the members and their old ladies as my uncles and aunts. There was no reason for me to be so anxious about walking through the familiar doors again. As I reached the door there were a few catcalls from some of the men sitting outside. Some things never changed, they see a new piece of ass and they try to get her attention and hope that she wasn't a prude or worse yet just a tease.

The clubhouse smelled just as I remembered; to some, it might smell off but to me, it was the smell of my childhood. My eyes searched the crowd of men and women looking for the one face I wanted to see, more than anyone else. It wasn't hard to find him with his large stature and curly brown hair. He was standing with his back to me talking to Clay and Tig. I watched him talk exuberantly for a few seconds before walking over and tapping him on the back. He turned and I flung myself into him before he knew what was happening.

"Nori?" He wrapped his arms around me, I finally felt safe. Tears welled up in my eyes; I wasn't a crier, I hope I wasn't getting softer in my old age. I must have missed my dad more than I had realized. I was being held out at arm's length as Dad took a closer look at me. "When did you get back? I thought graduation was a few weeks away."

I was about to answer him but was interrupted by the exuberant prospect. "This was the one I was telling you about Bobby." His voice was full of excitement.

"Prospect, this is…" My dad started but I shook my head at him. He raised an all-knowing eyebrow, I was up to my old tricks. Somethings never changed. I had always enjoyed giving the prospects a hard time; it must have been the sadistic part of me that enjoyed seeing them squirm.

"I want to know what he told you," I smirked as I slowly said the next part. "Daddy."

The color left Half-Sack's face and he swallowed slowly. "I…um…" He stuttered. He really had stuck his foot in his mouth. I later found out he had told my dad that a sexy, little thing with a tight body was looking for him today.

"What's wrong prospect? Cat got your tongue?" Dad laughed. "You not going to tell my daughter, what you said you would do to her if you ever saw her again?"

"No. I…" Sack's face paled as he turned quickly and made his way back behind the bar.

"I have never seen the prospect speechless. Leave it to you, Nora." Clay said as he put his arm around me and hugged me to him. "Welcome home, sweetheart."

"What can I say, Uncle Clay. I have a way with men." I smiled up at him. "And I am so happy to be home." I was glad that they were treating me the same.

"Have enough of the Big Apple?" Clay asked.

I snorted, "Yeah, you could say that." Truth be told, I loved New York and the East Coast, it was a refreshing change from Charming. And if I wanted to get anywhere in the fashion world, I would have stayed on the east coast but things just got too complicated, too messy, and far too intense for me to deal with. So, I decided to make my way back to Charming. "I didn't really care about walking in the graduation ceremony. I mean you guys weren't going to be there. I have my degrees either way. Since I wasn't walking I decided to come home early and surprise you all." Little did I know my dad was planning on coming to see me walk. He had already purchased his non-refundable ticket. I was a shitty daughter.

"Nora what did you do to your hair?" My dad plucked a strand of my hair and acted as if he were examining it. He has something on his mind, I could read it in his eyes. I wanted to tell him to just spit it out but I refrained.

I swatted my dad's hand away. "I needed a change." Was the only explanation I allowed him. "Speaking of need. I NEED a drink!" I pointed to the bar as I hastily took my exit. A quick sigh of relief escaped my lips, I didn't want to risk having anyone ask me any more questions about New York. I was liable to spill my guts, especially to my dad.

Half-Sack eyed me leerily, "So…you're Bobby's daughter."

"Guilty." An innocent smile crossed my lips as I climbed up onto a stool, sitting on my knees so I could lean over the bar. "Not something I normally need to tell people around here."

"You let me act like a fool. I told your dad some stupid shit." Sack admitted quietly as he leaned close to me. He smelt good, like shampoo and cologne.

The poor prospect was embarrassed. He looked like a poor little lost puppy, who had been kicked a few times. "I'm sorry that you embarrassed yourself in front of my dad. Don't worry though you aren't the first prospect to stick your foot in your mouth around my dad. Juice smacked my ass thinking I was a croweater, in front of my dad. At least you have an excuse, you have never met me, he had."

Poor Juice, I thought as I remembered that night. I was playing a game of pool with Jax when Juice planted a firm smack on my behind, it stung. My dad swiftly rectified the situation. Juice knew better after that to lay a hand on Bobby's 17-year-old daughter after that. In Juice's defense, I was dressed a bit too provocatively for a teenager. I was going through my dress like a croweater phase. I may have acted a bit too much like them at that point in my life as well. Don't get me wrong I still liked to flirt…a lot and occasionally had one-night stands; I never considered herself a slut or someone who could be passed around from guy to guy, that was the difference between a croweater and myself. I was selective, they well were not.

"Listen, my dad is easy to forgive so don't worry about it okay." I tried to reassure the prospect. "If he forgave Juice, he can forgive you. Unless of course, I don't forgive you, then…" I smirked. "well, you're screwed."

Half-Sack stared at me for a moment before saying, "Nora, I am sorry for what I said."

"No, you aren't, you're just sorry you got caught." I teased. "I'll forgive you if you let me make a drink." I quickly hopped off the stool and made my way behind the bar. It wasn't often I was allowed behind the bar. The last time I was back there was my going away party.

Sack stepped away from the bar, "By all means." He smiled, ease washed over him.

"Oh, and you need to drink whatever I make." I started grabbing bottles from the shelves and placing them on the bar. Finally, I grabbed a sleek metal shaker and started to fill it with each of the different liquors.

"Impressive. Where'd you learn to shake like that?" A familiar voice startled me, I quickly turned to see Juice smiling broadly.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I raised an eyebrow and went back to shaking but continued to observe Juice.

He had shaved and tattooed his head. I liked it, it fit him. He wore a leather kutt and no longer had a prospect patch. I was glad to see he didn't have a Men of Mayhem patch, I was aware of what that meant. It was nice to see the club hadn't tainted him too badly yet. I liked Juice how he was, sweet and naïve, there was something very boy-like about him that I hadn't seen in any of the other Sons.

Juice shook his head. "You really shouldn't have let her back there, Prospect. Well unless you want to clean up her vomit later." He grinned at me. "What are you making anyway?"

"A Dirty Biker." I poured the liquid into two shot glasses. "You want one?" I couldn't believe that Juice had brought up my stomach pyrotechnics. I guess I was never going to live down vomiting on Jax, EVER!

"Um." Juice studied the brown liquid. "What is it?"

"Come on live a little." I shoved one of the shots towards Juice and the other to Half-Sack before pouring the remainder of the drink into a larger glass. Yes, the drink was meant to be a shot but I needed more than just one shot. "Bottoms up boys." I downed the drink and slammed my glass on the bar lightly.

"Wow. That was good Nora. Where did you learn to make that?" Juice asked genuinely.

"I worked as a bartender part-time while in school. I made up the shot when I was homesick and bored one night." When I was in New York, I thought about my family often. I missed them so much especially when things were going so wrong. I tried to push that all out of my head as I poured myself a beer and stepped out from behind the bar. "Thank you, Kip." I patted him on the shoulder and turned to Juice. "I'm glad to see you're a full member." I hugged Juice. It was so familiar, it made me so happy to be home.

"Glad to see you didn't get sucked into the city life." Juice was from Queens, so he had given me lots of advice about New York and what to watch for. He had hoped that the city life wouldn't mar my spirit and to the outside world, it was going to be that way…it was just me, it wouldn't be.

"Yeah." I just nodded. New York would have been great if it wasn't for Sarah. After meeting her everything changed for me. My life hasn't been the same since she entered my world. "I think I am going to go get some air. It was good seeing you, Juice. We have to catch up." I was feeling claustrophobic like the walls were closing in on me.

The hot California air hit me and I felt instant relief. When I was in New York, I had never felt the same reprieve as I did at that very moment. It was like the heat washed over me and again eased my anxiety. Maybe it was just the fact that I was home and I didn't have to worry about things. I was safe when I was home. If not I had a building full of bikers to take care of my problems. I just had to let them in.

"So how bad did you make him squirm?" Jax called from the picnic table behind me.

"I'm sure he came close to shitting his pants." I made my way to the table and sat down across from him. I could've drunk Jackson in for hours. "So where is the ball and chain?" I asked. He had gotten married to the junkie, Wendy after I left for college.

"Beats the hell out of me. Last I heard she was in treatment." Jax took a long drag from his cigarette. "She knows better than to show her face around here for a while after she put our kid in the NICU for a few months."

Kid? My dad never told me anything about a kid. "So, you're someone's dad now?" Jax had told me he never wanted to bring kids into this world and look at him now.

"Yeah, Abel. My mom has him right now so I could be here. He's definitely a Teller. Kid's got a lot of fight in him." Jackson said proudly.

"Good. I'm happy for you Jax." I smiled as a beer was sat down in front of me and Jax. I glanced up and saw a face that I didn't think I would see in a very long time. "Oh, my god, Opie!" I jumped up quickly and embraced him. I hadn't seen him since the night he was arrested. "How are Donna and the kids?" I asked.

A sorrowful look crossed Opie's face. "Shit, you don't know." His voice was full of sadness.

I searched his face and then glanced over at Jax, whose face was hooded with pain. "What? What don't I know?" Anxiety filled my body. I wanted to take everything back. I wanted to rewind the moment, I didn't want bad news. I couldn't handle it.

Opie looked down at me, all I could concentrate on was the grief in his hazel eyes. I didn't want to hear what he had to say. "Donna was murdered about a month ago."

My legs gave out on me, thankfully Opie grabbed me before I hit the ground. Tears pooled in my eyes. Murdered? Why hadn't my dad told me about it? Donna and I were as thick as thieves before I had left for New York. We tried to stay in touch as much as possible but life happened and we hadn't talked in about six months. A loud sob escaped my lips as Opie pulled me into him. "Please tell me you're lying," I begged, knowing that he wouldn't be that cruel to lie about something like that.

"I'm sorry, Nora," Opie whispered, his own eyes threatened tears.

I pulled away from him and stared up at his towering stature. "No, Op. I'm sorry. I wish I had known. I can't believe my dad didn't tell me. I would have been here in a heartbeat if I had known. Please let me know if you need help with Kenny and Ellie." Shit, what a mind fuck, the news of Donna's death was to me. I didn't know what else to say to Opie. I just hurt so much for him.

"Of course. Now join us for a beer and tell us why you dyed your hair this color." Opie said lightly as he tucked a piece of loose hair behind my ear.

I raised an eyebrow at Opie as I sat down and took a drink out of my beer. "I guess I need a change," I stated.

"A change?" Jax teased as he smirked at Opie, who shrugged in response.

"Oh, come on, I was an Art Major. Do you think I am going to go normal?" I smirked, which was quickly wiped from my face as I noticed the woman who had just sat down next to Jax and gave him a peck on the cheek. "You have to be fucking kidding me." I blurted out without even thinking.


	2. A New Ally

The glare Jax directed at me could have cleared the whole of Charming. "Are you fucking kidding me right now, Nora?" His voice was just as angry as his look.

I flinched at the harshness directed towards me. In my defense, I regretted what I said as soon as the words slipped from my lips. However, I could honestly say that it annoyed me to see Tara sitting across the table in Jackson's good graces. And obviously in his bed. I chewed on my lower lip, trying to fight back the tears before standing up.

"I'm sorry. I may have just overreacted. I really don't have an excuse for my behavior." I stared Jax down, his stormy blue eyes lightened. "It was good to see you, Opie." I touched his shoulder lightly before walking away.

Ugh, such a walk of shame. I hadn't even been in Charming for 12 hours and I had already fucked shit up. I was just about to the clubhouse when a hand grabbed my shoulder and stopped me in my tracks.

"Nora!" I turned to face Jax, who was staring at me.

I frowned, "what Jackson?" I didn't let him answer me before I continued. "I am really sorry about my reaction Jax. I may have only been 12 when Tara left you, but I remember how badly you hurt. Maybe you don't remember how broken she left you but I do." _That was when I fell for Jax Teller_. "I don't ever want to see you like that ever again. And, sure there is a part of me that is jealous and that totally came out. But Jax if you are happy, then I can be happy for you. I can even give Tara a chance and even benefit of the doubt, that is if she'll forgive me for what I said."

See I could be an adult about that, even if Jackson was my first crush. I would have called him my first love but, what did I know about love back then? Even at that point, I could honestly say I had never really, ever been in love with anyone. I had never connected with anyone the way I had seen those around me connect. The way Opie and Donna, Jax and Tara, or even Clay and Gemma were bonded. If Tara meant nothing to Jackson, he wouldn't have reacted the way he did. He still loved her, deeply.

Jax sighed, "How do you always do that?"

"How do I do what?" I snapped.

"Make me feel bad when I shouldn't, especially when you are the one who was out of line?" Jax ran his hair through his thick blond hair.

A coy smile crossed my face. I guess I still had the touch without even trying. "I don't mean to make you feel bad. I am just trying to be honest with you." I started back towards the building but not before turning back to Jax. "Tell Tara, I'm sorry."

"I will and Nora no more of that shit, understand?" Gave me a stern look. The look that I knew he meant business and that I shouldn't cross him again.

I felt like shit. I was all ready for my homecoming to be over with. All I wanted to do was to crawl into my bed and sleep for the next week. Of course, if I did that my dad would know something was going on with me. I was just grateful I was somewhere I could sleep soundly for the first time in months and that called for a week's worth of sleep. At that point, I would just go on and focus all my frustration and fear into my art.

I didn't make it very far into the clubhouse before a set of tattooed arms grabbed me from behind and bear-hugged me before lifting me off the ground. I let out a small squeak in surprise, even though I knew I was safe; there was only one person who ever hugged me like that.

"Put me down!" I yelped as my feet dangled off the ground.

"Good to have you home, lassie." Chibs placed me back on the ground and released me from his death grip.

"You know I am not 12 anymore, right? Or are you going senile in your old age?" I smarted off, knowing I could get away with my sassiness.

Chibs let out a chuckle and smiled. His scars cut deeply into either side of his face and were accentuated even more by his grin. "Aye, lass, I know. I didn't believe your da when he told me what you did to yerself. Had to see it for myself." He jested. Oh, how I missed his thick Scottish accent.

Chibs had always treated me like his own. I think I was the Americanized replacement for his daughter, Kerrianne. We were only a few years apart in age so I think that is why he took to me so much. I was just about as close to him as I was my own dad.

"Why is everyone giving me such grief over my hair? So, what it's teal." Chibs motioned to his septum on his nose. "You do realize, I could have done so much worse to my body when I was in New York! So, I got a few piercings and dyed my hair. It can all be temporary." I sighed.

"True. You know we only give you shite because we love ya." Chibs tried to make me feel better. Unsuccessfully. It had just been such a crazy few hours.

"Yeah, yeah. I am sure that it is what it is." I shook my head. "Do you know where my dad is?" I had a bone to pick with him.

Chibs brown eyes searched the clubhouse, "last I saw him he was belly up to the bar, with a whore." He nodded his head in the direction of the bar.

I smiled and thanked Chibs before making my way in the direction he had nodded and of course, that was where I found a croweater flirting with my dad. I rolled my eyes, how could I have ever thought I wanted to be a croweater? Being passed around from man to man and never having a place. I was so glad that I quickly outgrew that stage. Shit, my dad would have never allowed that to happen. He would have killed any of the club members, who touched me.

I touched my dad's shoulder. The croweater glared at me. I had never seen her before, she had long blond hair and annoyed blue eyes. My dad's attention was not easily swayed, because my touch didn't seem to pull his attention from the croweater, who was happy enough to have his attention back on her.

"Daddy!" I said sternly. It was like I was talking to a fucking child.

He dropped his hand from the croweater's chest and turned quickly to me. "Nora? I thought you were out with Jax and Op."

_Um, yeah, I did catch you fondling tits_. I thought to myself before answering him.

"Not anymore. So, about Opie, why didn't you tell me about Donna?" I asked, ignoring the woman's annoyed stare.

"Sweetheart, it wasn't something I want to tell you over the phone." He responded, he seemed sincere but it wasn't really the answer I wanted.

"So, you thought you would just tell me when I got home?" My voice raised. I could feel my anger rising. I was close to the point where I wasn't going to be able to reign it in.

My dad pushed the croweater off him and stood up and took me lightly by the arm and pulled me away from the others. He lowered his voice, "I don't think this is the time or place to talk about this Nora." There was a warning in his tone like he knew something no one else did.

I let out a huffed sigh, "fine. But you owe me a better explanation than the phone shit, Daddy."

He shook his head, he knew me well enough to know I wouldn't drop it until I found out everything. He could thank Gemma for that. "Tomorrow. We'll go for a ride and we can chat. You can tell me why you came home, instead of walking in your graduation."

Touché. I would find a way around that, or at least fib a bit. He didn't need to know the whole truth or any of it.

"How about you let your old man get you a drink?" He offered with a smile.

I let a smile cross my lips, "of course." I longed to feel the familiarity of home. I still felt like an outsider. There were so many new faces, I had never seen before. My dad patted the stool he had been sitting on. I sat down on it and turned towards him and watched him as he barked orders at the prospect. He had aged since I had seen him last. His beard and hair were longer and grayer and he was slightly rounder than I remembered. But he was still the same happy-go-lucky man, who did a mean impression of Elvis.

"So, I guess you are going to need me to clean up your studio?" He handed me a beer.

I hadn't even thought about it. I hadn't been in my studio in years and told my dad he could rent it out or use it for the club. In high school, I pretty much lived in my studio which was in one of the buildings on Main Street in Charming. It had been a loft apartment at one point but I used it for my art. The light in it was so amazing; I couldn't have asked for a better gift from my dad. "I guess that would be good. I have all my stuff being shipped back so, I could use a place to put everything. In all honesty, I haven't really felt all that inspired lately."

"It's okay sweetheart. All artists go through lulls." He tried to encourage me, his brown eyes searched mine. "You just need to find your muse again."

I snickered, my muse was currently outside sucking face with the woman, who had broken his heart so deeply he vowed to never love again. But who was I to deny him a piece of happiness again? "Yeah, sure Daddy. Maybe I'll make the prospect my muse." I said loud enough to make Half-Sack blush.

"Nora, that isn't funny." My dad teased. "Whatever happened to what's his name?"

Ugh, I knew he was going to bring up my ex. I didn't really want to discuss it but I went ahead and told him. "Zac, we broke up. He cheated on me."

My dad shook his head. "What the fuck? I am sorry baby, is that why you came home early?" He asked.

"Yeah," I muttered. Among other things, I thought to myself.

"Well, shit baby. You should have told me, I could have brought some of the guys with me and we could have ruffed him up. You are far too precious to be cheated on." The thought of that made me instantly feel better.

"Daddy, I am sorry that I took you away from that piece of ass." I knew she would be back but just in case she wasn't at least I told him I felt bad about pulling him away.

"Nora Scarlet, don't you ever think that you aren't more important than some croweater. I would walk away from a room full of pussy just to make sure you are happy. Got it?"

"I got it." I don't know why I felt bad about taking him away from the croweater. Maybe it was because I didn't know where my place was anymore. I needed to just let go and stop overthinking things and thinking I was going to be a burden on my family.

The rest of the evening went much better than it started. I ended up playing a drunken game of pool with Juice. He was so much more fun than I had remembered him being. I hadn't laughed that much in months. It was funny what a few drinks and laughing could do for the soul. I felt much more like myself than I had in at least a year. It was so nice, I finally felt like I was back into the groove of things.

The sun was so bright. Where the fuck was I? The last thing I remembered was losing a hard-fought game of pool to Juice and having to take several very large shots of something of his choosing. I rolled over in the bed only to realize I wasn't alone. _Shit_ , _what did I do?_ I felt my body, I still had my clothing on. I opened my eyes slowly to see Juice laying on top of the blankets I was under. He was on his stomach with his mouth wide open, drooling on his pillow. I stifled a giggle as I slowly climbed out of his bed. I really wanted to draw him so I quickly grabbed my sketch pad out of my bag that was conveniently stashed next to the bed. I made a quick sketch before quietly making my way out of the room.

Mission number one, COFFEE. I was seriously hoping that none of the guys were up yet because their coffee-making skill sucked unless you liked grog. I did not. I walked into the kitchen and was met a half-dressed Tara, making coffee. She was wearing a navy SOA shirt and nothing else from what I could tell.

"I didn't know anyone else was up." She motioned to her lack of clothing.

I smiled, "I'll keep an eye out for you if you want." I motioned to the door. I could feel her embarrassment and it would only be worse if a club member walked in. I wouldn't want to be caught half-dressed like that.

"Thanks." She smiled as she finished making the coffee. "The guys around here make such shit coffee," Tara said as she walked past me making her way back to Jax dorm room. I was glad she felt the same way as I did.

"Tara, how do you take your coffee?" I asked, she made it I would get her a cup and maybe we could have a chance to talk. I totally started on the wrong foot with her.

Tara paused for a moment as if she was trying to get a read on me. "Black two sugars." With that, she disappeared into Jax's room.

When the coffee was finally done brewing, I poured two cups and walked out to the main part of the clubhouse. As I expected it was strewn with bodies most of them were naked or half-naked croweaters with club members. A scene I had become accustomed to over the years. As long as I never saw my dad, I was fine with it. Thankfully, he knew this and tended to do things after I left or before I got there. I never wanted to see that. _Ick, gross…next subject._

I found a table that was empty of bodies and sat down. I pulled out my sketch pad and started to fill in the details of the sleeping Juice. I giggled as I did it.

"So, you and Juice?" Tara asked. I hadn't even heard her sit down. It didn't surprise me because when I got into a piece of art, I tended to focus on it so much I blocked out the world. That was part of the reason I loved art so much.

"Oh God, no," I said quickly. I could see where she got the idea, I mean I was asleep in his dorm with him and currently sketching his picture. "I guess it probably looks that way though."

Tara laughed, "Yeah, it did. Although after he helped you to his room, he came back out." Her green eyes gazed at my work. "Your drawing is really good. I like the drool."

"Thanks. Tara, I think I started on the wrong foot with you. I am really sorry for how rude I was." I was sincere in my apology. I had no reason other than selfish ones to really dislike her. I knew Jax loved Tara, even after all the years apart. That was the sort of love I longed for.

A smile crossed Tara's face before she brought her coffee mug up to her mouth. "Thank you, Nora. You know I could use more friends here in Charming. Especially ones that are not afraid of the club." Her words rang true. It was hard to find friends who weren't just using you for the club or once they found out you were associated with SAMCRO, they just walked away.

"I'd like that. I don't really have girlfriends here anymore. I mean they all used me anyway, they wanted to be around all the guys." That was one of the reasons I went away for school, no one knew who I was. I could start with a clean slate. It was a nice thought, having a friend, that was a part of the club, especially since Donna was gone.

Tara and I chatted as I continued to perfect my drawing. Shading and smudging, until my right hand was slate gray. I am glad that she gave me a chance.

"Glad to see there isn't any blood," Jax smirked as he plopped himself in the chair next to Tara.

I glared up at him, "Why must you always bring up the past? I am no longer an impulsive teenager, Jackson."

Jax laughed, "Your stories are just too good not to bring up Nor." He said as pulled my sketch pad away from me.

"So, you and Juice." He teased as he flipped through the pages.

I watched him nervously before answering. Thankfully, I didn't have my obsessive drawing of Jax in my everyday book. "No. There is no me and Juice. He slept over the covers. I slept under them. We were both fully clothed and I still had my shoes on. I couldn't resist drawing him, the way he was sleeping made me laugh."

"Uh-huh." Jax continued paging through my book. "Nor these are really good. I mean I never doubted your ability to draw but the way you depicted this woman's ass." He held up a drawing I did of one of the nude models that came into one of my classes.

I could feel my face flush red with embarrassment. Tara smacked Jax as he laughed. "I see you didn't say anything about the nude men. Just jumped right over those, huh?"

"Sweetheart, I know what all that shit looks like," Jax smirked. Ugh that smirk, still made my heart beat a bit faster. _Reign it in, Nora._ I told myself.

Tara thankfully changed the subject, "What do you have planned today, Nora?"

Relief washed over me, "My dad and I are going to go for a ride. I need to get my rental car back at some point too. I might head to my studio and see if I can get it cleaned up. I don't want to stay at my dad's too long. What about you?" I asked.

"I have to head into work soon. I'm scrubbing in for surgery at noon." Tara looked down at her watch.

Of course, she was beautiful, funny, and smart. Shit, she saved lives. I was about to answer when my dad walked into the building with Clay and Chibs. He smiled at me made his way over.

"Morning." He set a brown paper bag down in front of me. "Thought you could use this."

I knew what it was before I even opened the bag. My dad knew me so well. I pulled the bag open and the smell of a freshly baked muffin hit me. I plucked the muffin out of the bag and it was still warm. "You know me so well, Dad."

"Banana chocolate chip with a bit of cinnamon, just like you like." His brown eyes watched me as I placed a bit of the muffin in my mouth.

"Mmm. How have I gone for five years without these?" I took a large bite. "Wait?!" I said with a mouth full of muffin. I quickly finished chewing. "You aren't going to take me on a ride today are you?"

My dad shook his head sadly. "No, I'm sorry sweetheart."

Damn it, I fell for it. When I was younger he would make me muffins when he had to do something for the club verse spend time with me. If I ate them he knew I would forgive him. Fuck. "Just because I ate it doesn't mean I am not upset. Dad, I just got home. I seriously only spent like two seconds with you."

"I know, Nor. I'm sorry. I asked Opie if he could help you get that rental back to the shop. Unless you want Juice to help you." He shook his head.

"Fuck. Everyone just needs to drop this Juice shit! I am not interested in Juice." I was seconds away from stomping my foot on the floor and throwing a temper tantrum like a toddler. "Nothing happened!" My dad raised his hands in defense and laughed.

* * *

I sat on the picnic table and waited for Opie to finish up with what he was working on in the garage at Teller Morrow. The sun felt so good against my bare skin. I couldn't wait to have my sun-kissed glow back again. I closed my eyes and leaned back with my face to the sun. A smile crossed my lips, my worries melted away as the sun's warmth washed over me.

"Hey, there mermaid." Opie's voice called to me. "You ready to go?"

"I prefer the term siren." I slowly opened my eyes and met his gaze. "And yes I am." I hadn't seen Opie in at least seven years. He still looked about the same, well other than he more facial hair than I remember. His hair was hidden under a beanie. Opie's hazel eyes looked sad even though he tried to hide it behind a happy facade.

"Let's get going then. I will let you buy me lunch on the way back." Opie held his hand out to me. I placed mine in his and he gently pulled me from the table.

My stomach lurched and butterflies fluttered wildly when he took my hand into his. _What the hell was that all about?_ I wondered. "Wow, Op that is really gentlemanly of you," I smirked as I quickly made my way to my rental.

I prayed Opie didn't notice how my pulse changed when he touched me. His wife had just died; I had just left my boyfriend of two years; neither of us were in the market for anything. So, I just tried to push whatever just happened deep inside of me.

"I'll see you at the rental place," I called out the car window as I pulled away from Teller-Morrow.


	3. Crush

I was staring at a blanket canvas, the same one I had been looking at for over a half-hour, when I heard the door on my loft open and close. There was only one person who had a key and just walked in they lived with me. 

"Hello, sweetheart," Gemma called from behind me.

"Hi, Gemma." I finally looked away from the stark whiteness and made my way over to the small table I had set up as a dining area.

Gemma studied me before she handed me a paper cup that was filled with coffee. "Still take it with cream and two sugars?" I nodded and Gemma continued. "Your dad told me you moved out of his place and moved in here." She said it like it was news. I had been in the loft for a few weeks and she finally found time to make it over. She looked around, I knew she thought I could do better. That was the thing about Gemma, she wanted the best of the best for those she loved.

"I know it isn't much but it's mine. And I have my art right here." I pointed over to the corner where I had set up my own little art studio. It had everything I needed, my desk, easel, and best of all, lots of natural light. "I have lived in much smaller with more people." I thought of student housing, my loft had so much more space than any place I stayed in at school.

Gemma smiled and sat down at the table. "It's perfect, sweetheart. I hear your overbearing mother is allowing Tiki to come and visit this weekend."

Well, that was news to me. I was surprised my dad hadn't told me. If it was a surprise well Gemma had just ruined it. "Really? I haven't seen Tiks in nearly six years. We email and I send him gifts on the holidays and his birthday; it will be so nice to see him." I smiled at the thought of seeing my little brother.

"Still haven't gotten over that fight with your mom?" Gemma asked knowing damn well, I would never forgive my mom.

"Gemma, are you serious? You know I am too stubborn to forgive her. She was a royal bitch to me when I decided to move in with dad full-time. I forgave her for that. She didn't want to lose her child support but she had no right to call me a little whore and then chose her boyfriend over her own daughter. Sure, I may have dressed like one but I…" I paused remembering the day she confronted me; I had been visiting for a few weeks over the summer. She had a boyfriend who had got a little handsy with me. I told her and she said she would talk to him. He told her lies, of course, something along the lines of how I came onto him. She chose the guy over me; I hadn't spoken to my mom since that day. "I needed a mother who believed me and not her child molesting boyfriend." Sure, as shit my dad and the club took care of things. I was never privy to what happened but Daddy said I was safe and wouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

"He would have been less a dick if you were my daughter." Gemma had steam blowing out her ears, figuratively.

I smiled, "See, I don't need a biological mother when I have you. You have been far more of a mom to me than Precious has." Gemma immediately took me under her wing when I moved to Charming. She had been the mother I had always wanted. When I was real young I would pray that my dad and Gemma ended up together because I wanted her to be my real mom. Those prayers went unanswered and as I got older I was grateful for that.

"That really means a lot to me, Nora." Gemma smiled genuinely. "So, the reason I am here." Ah, so there was a catch to her visit. "I was hoping you would be able to help out at Teller-Morrow tomorrow. I have to get Abel's room taken care of and you know the guys cannot deal when it comes to paperwork."

I knew Gemma wouldn't take no for an answer; even if I hadn't touched any paper work in over five years. "Of course, I can for a day, but not any longer. I really need to start working on my design stuff. I have some friends in New York who is going to use my clothing designs for some sort of project they are working on in a few months, so I really need to buckle down now that I am no longer in school."

"You're a lifesaver, sweetheart. Now, that I have taken care of that I will let you get back to your blank canvas over there." Gemma stood and kissed my head. "Be there tomorrow at 9 am."

I shook my head. "Okay." I waved at her as she left me alone in silence.

That was the problem. Silence, I needed music. No wonder I was just staring at the whiteness of the canvas for so long. I turned on music and went to it. Music had always been a way for me to get my creative juices flowing. My last art studio was across the hall from one of the music study rooms. It was fabulous. I never had any issues creating.

I painted into the early hours of the morning until I remembered my promise to help Gemma. "Ugh." I hated to leave this piece of art but I walked away after quickly cleaning up my supplies that had quickly become scattered around the area. It was not long after I climbed into bed and was sound asleep. 

* * *

It was far too early to function normally without coffee, I thought to myself as I walked into the office at Teller Morrow. The desk was a cluttered mess. The first task, clean off the desk; wait, scratch that first task coffee, second task papers. I went to the coffee pot, only found that they were out of coffee in the office. _UGH!_ I took the empty coffee ground urn and made my way to the clubhouse where I knew they would have more.

"Good morning sunshine." Jax beamed at me as I walked through the door. He was sitting next to Opie at one of the tables. He was a fucking morning person. I hated morning people. Too fucking cheery.

"Coffee…" I muttered as I pointed towards the kitchen. I discarded the empty coffee urn and grabbed a full one. Thankfully, someone had made coffee in the clubhouse so I helped myself. I would take a cup full of the grog they made over being caffeine-less.

"So, my mom roped you into working at the shop today huh?" Jax asked me as I reemerged from the kitchen.

I plopped down on the chair next to Jax and glared at him and his rosy demeanor. "Yup. It would have been fine had I not stayed up late working on a painting. I should have just stopped at a blank slate but I couldn't. Once I start working on a piece of art it's hard to stop." I took a long drink of the shit they called coffee.

"I'm sure you could crash with Juice or the prospect, if you're that tired." Jax teased. He really enjoyed getting under my skin.

"Fuck off, Jackson." I knew I was treading a fine line but his laughter told me a different story and his eyes glinted with mischief.

"I take it you're not a morning person?" Ope smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes, "I have no clue what would give you that idea." 

"Technically, isn't it close to noon in New York? So, you really just slept in." Opie said very matter-of-factly.

I knew that he was messing with me. "Does it look like I am in New York?" Both Jax and Opie chuckled. "Please laugh at my suffering." It wasn't like it was the first time I had caused a good laugh.

Jax's phone rang, he looked at the number and got up as he answered it. Leaving Opie and me alone at the table. Opie gently grabbed my arm and turned it up and looked at it. As odd as it was, it didn't stop my heart from skipping a few beats.

"I think you have a bit of paint on your arm." He smirked. _Oh, hello smirk._

I looked at my arm. "Fuck," I muttered at the large smear of blue paint across the backside of my arm. I woke up late and didn't have a chance to shower. I quickly stood up and made my way to the bar and grabbed a wet rag and scrubbed the paint off my arm as I made my way back to my spot at the table.

"Did you roll around it in?" Opie asked holding his hand out for the rag.

I frowned and handed him the rag. "Har, har." Opie gently lifted my hair off my neck and wiped the paint from off it. My stomach was in knots and my heart kicked it up a notch. His actions felt far too intimate even if he had not meant for it to be. 

"There you go, mermaid. All clean." He handed the originally white rag back to me which was now blue. Maybe, I was a mermaid, after all, blue paint, teal hair. If it wasn't for my fear of drowning, I would totally be a mermaid.

"Thanks, Ope." I didn't know what to say. I was terrified that he could hear my heart beating. Because that was all I could hear. Loud, fast throbs.

Jackson returned to the table, "That was Clay. We're needed." He was straightforward with Opie. I was sure it was club business, which meant it was none of mine.

"I'll take that as my cue and head to the office. The desk in there is a fucking mess, by the way. You know that is why Gemma had me come and work…she didn't want to deal with the shit that you, assholes left all over the desk." I left to the laughs of Opie and Jackson and my mind completely confused about Opie's actions but more so my reaction to them.

* * *

I rubbed the back of my neck, I was grateful that I didn't have a regular desk job as I stared down at the remaining invoice in front of me. It was the last thing I had to take care of before I left Teller Morrow for the night. I was in the mood for a beer and a nap. Thankfully, it had been a relatively slow day. It took me some time to remember how to run things. I even had to ask the guys, who were in the shop several times how things worked or where something was. In my defense, I hadn't been behind that desk in years.

"Hey, Nor?" Opie made me jump and more embarrassingly yelp. "Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scared you."

He had no clue, I was easier to startle than I used to be. I was not used to not having to look over my shoulder all the time. "It's fine Opie. I was just focused on what I was doing. What's up?" I asked, as I shoved the invoice aside and devoted my attention to him.

Opie's hazel eyes studied me for a second, he looked like he was going to ask me something, but reigned it back in. "So, I was wondering what you were doing tonight."

His question took me by surprise, "Um, well I was going to walk myself over to the clubhouse and have a beer and then head home to wash off this day in my tub. Why do you ask?" I realized I really didn't need to tell him all that.

"I was wondering if you would be able to hang with Ellie and Kenny tonight. My flake of a mom, called last minute and said she couldn't watch them. I hate to ask but I am kind of in a bind." Opie rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for my answer.

"Of course. What time do you need me?" I asked without hesitation. I had missed Ellie and Kenny and I was sure they needed some solidarity in their lives with Donna being gone. The SAMCRO lifestyle didn't lend much continuity or routine. I was sure those poor kids' lives were just in utter chaos.

"Are you sure?" Opie asked as if he was allowing me to back out.

I nodded my head. "Ope, if I didn't want to hang with them I would say no. Any time you need me I can help. My work can come with me." I patted my bag that contained some of the art stuff that I was using to design the clothing for the photo shoot.

A smile crossed his face. "You're a lifesaver, Nora. I'd hate to have to leave them with a croweater. Can you be over by 6:30?"

That gave me time to go home and shower and then head over. "Yeah. It gives me some time to go home and shower." So much for my beer. I could always have one later when I got home. I stood and stretched my body out; it ached which was strange because I had done far less work than I was used to. I looked over at Opie just in time to see him checking out my chest. I didn't blame him, I had a nice rack, the were the one feature I got from my mom and didn't hate. "Alright. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Nah. If the kids haven't eaten, I will make sure that we have stuff ready for when you come over." Opie shook his head. He held the door open for me as we exited the office.

* * *

I made it to Opie's house just before 6:30; my stomach was in knots, I didn't know if I was going to be able to hold it together. It would be my first time at the house without Donna. It hurt my heart, a lot! I was about to walk into the house, it was more out of habit to not knock but I stopped myself and knocked on the door. The sound of running feet made me smile and took me back to happier, more peaceful times. The door flew open and I was tackled by Kenny. He hit me so hard, it knocked the air out of me.

"NORA!" He yelled merrily. "Woah, you have blue hair. I want blue hair!"

Shit, I hoped Opie didn't hear that. I could only imagine how he would feel about his kid having blue hair. I am sure he would be none too thrilled.

"It's not blue, Kenny. It's teal." Ellie rolled her blue eyes at her brother as she hugged me. "Sheesh, do you even know your colors?"

I laughed at them as they escorted me into the house. "Hi, guys! I've missed you." I hugged them both to me. They were both so much older and so much sadder looking. Kenny had grown at least a foot and was about as tall as Ellie was even though she was two years older than he was. They both crowded my being, it felt like if they could have crawled inside my skin they would have. I could tell they were desperate for love and for someone with who they were comfortable.

Opie had been gone for five years of their lives and they were just getting to know him again when their mom died. Donna never gave the kids a chance to get to know Op when he was in jail, she never brought them to visit him. While I was gone, I had video chats with them from time to time and we wrote emails and letters. I had tried to stay apart of their lives as much as I could. But when things started getting bad for me in New York, I shut my Charming life out.

Opie came around the corner from his room. "Hey, guys. Give Nora some room to breathe." He gently tried to guide them away from me.

"It's fine. I've missed these faces." I squeezed Kenny's face between my hands. He laughed. "So, what's the plan tonight?" I asked Kenny. He went into everything he had planned for us. "Whoa, we should really save something to do the next time I come over."

"Can I steal Nora for a minute guys?" Opie smiled over at me as I stepped away from the kids. "I don't know how late I will be out but I will try to be back at a decent hour so you can go roll in paint again."

I rolled my eyes. Opie smelled good, his hair was still wet from what I assumed was a shower. "I do not roll in paint." I was close to stomping my foot on the floor but refrained. He snickered at my reaction. "Take your time tonight. Enjoy yourself, because I know I will be having a fabulous time with your kids tonight."

"Thank you so much, Nora. You don't know how much I appreciate it." Opie touched my shoulder before making his way to his kids. I watched their awkward interaction. It hurt because I knew Donna would not want her kids or her husband to suffer in such away. He wanted them to be content in each other presence and it was not that way. "Bye Nora." Opie waved at me as he made his way out the front door.

I was startled awake by thumping around in the house, I hadn't even realized that I had fallen asleep. I shot up from where I was laying on the couch and turn on the light, only to see a very drunk Opie stumble his way into the kitchen. I stood up and made my way in the direction he went.

"Have a good time?" I smirked at him. He was standing with his back to me, staring into the refrigerator.

"I had a great time." He turned and grinned. The grin was one I knew all too well. He had gotten laid, it was the same one most of the guys in SAMCRO got when there was mention of pussy. "How were the kids?" His words were slow and I could tell he was trying to think about what he was saying.

"They were angels," I answered as he started to pull food out of the fridge and almost dropped a dish. "Ope, why don't you let me help you." I took the dish out of his hands. "Please don't tell me they let you drive yourself home in this condition."

He narrowed his eyes as if to say who was I to ask that question but then shook his head. "No. Prospect drove me home."

I handed him the plate with food that I had dished up. "Good. I know it's not really my business, but if I didn't ask, I would be a horrible friend." I only had his best intentions in mind when I asked. The kids would be devastated if he were to die as well. I didn't even want to imagine it; the thought just broke my heart.

I left Opie to eat his food in silence. I made my way back out to the living room and gathered up my stuff. The kids and I had done some art projects and I couldn't wait to hang up their pictures in my apartment. A loud crash in the kitchen startled me. I ran quickly to find Opie had dropped his plate when passed out against the counter.

"Opie?" I touched him gently. He looked down at me with a glazed-over look. "Ope, let me help you to bed."

Opie placed an arm over my shoulder. I prayed he didn't fall because there was no way in hell, I was going to be able to catch his towering stature. As we slowly continued to may our way down the hallway, I felt his hand move to my breast and cup it gently. There was nothing aggressive about his action and he was so drunk I didn't know even know if he knew what he was doing.

"You have nice tits, Nora." He muttered as he gave it a not so gentle squeeze. I felt that one motion all the way to my nether regions. God damn, this man could have easily gotten into my pants if he just asked. At that moment, I would have given anything to see Opie naked. I swallowed hard, trying to push my lust away. It had been far too long since I had gotten laid.

"Thanks, Opie." I tried to act as if it wasn't a big deal and I wasn't a raging ball of hormones. How was it that I felt like I needed a cold shower after just one drunken breast squeeze from Opie but when I was with my ex, he could have done that or even showed up to my place naked and I would have not even cared? "Well, here we are," I stated as I lead Opie over to his bed…mmm his bed. The bed he had shared with Donna. There take that and shove it sex drive!

He sat down on the edge of the bed and struggled to get his kutt off. I leaned over and helped remove it. I couldn't help but notice he was staring at my cleavage the whole time. It took all that I had in me to not straddle him. I kept repeating _This is Donna's widower…Donna, Donna, Donna,_ to myself as I helped Opie lay down in the bed and pulled off his boots.

"Night, Ope." I pulled the blankets up over his body.

"Mmm, night Nor." He turned to his side and I swear he was snoring before I even made it out of the room.

I went back to the kitchen, where food and broken plate laid littered across the floor. What a mess. I made quick work of it and cleaned up the kitchen. There was no way I could leave the kids alone with Opie. If something were to happen to them while he was drunk, I would have never been able to forgive myself. At that point, Donna would have every right to come back and haunt me.

"What smells so good?" Opie's voice called from the hallway. I had cooked breakfast for the kids as they got ready for school. "Nora?!" He seemed surprised to see me there.

"Yup. How you feelin'?" I glanced over my shoulder at him. I was standing across the counter from the kids whose laughter stopped as soon as Opie made an appearance. No, doubt their relationship was strained and stressful for everyone involved.

"I feel better than I probably deserve." He rubbed his bearded face. "You know you didn't need to stick around." Opie looked guilty.

I smiled at the kids, who looked at both of us like they were ready for a fight. "Hey guys, why don't you go get your stuff for school. I'll drive you to school." I offered to them. They both smiled broadly and hopped down from the bar and ran to the back of the house. I heard them fighting about who got shotgun. I then turned my attention to Opie. "Op, it's fine. I don't mind at all, I adore Kenny and Ellie."

"Thank, Nora. You don't know how much I appreciate it. I know that they are in good hands when they are with you. How much do I owe you for last night and this morning?" Opie asked.

"Absolutely nothing," I stated. I couldn't charge him, not after everything he had been through. I was such a bleeding heart!

"Are you sure?" Op questioned me. I just nodded. He frowned at me. "Did I say or do anything inappropriate to you last night?"

_Nothing, that didn't set my loins on fire._ I thought to myself. "Nope. You were a perfect gentleman." I lied through my teeth.

"Huh." He said more to himself than to me.

"Why Op?" I questioned as I made my way to the kitchen table where my bag was.

"Oh, it's nothing. I thought I remembered grabbing your…" He stopped as the kids ran into the room.

"We're ready, Nora." Kenny smiled at me. Ugh, that kid was going to be a lady killer when he got older.

"Nor, do you think that you could keep an eye on the kids tomorrow too?" Opie asked as I was about to leave, with the kids. Damn it. He now knew I couldn't say no to his kids. "Mary can take them if you aren't able to."

"Of course, but is it cool if I bring Tiki with me? I haven't seen him in forever, so I would like to spend some time with him." I watched Ellie's eyes light up at the mention of my brother and her face flushed ever so slightly. "Alright, why don't you two, go get in my car and I will be right out." I handed the keys to Ellie, who ran out saying she was going to drive my car today.

"Yeah, Tiki can come over. He used to come over all the time when he was visiting your old man. The kids get along really well." Opie nodded.

I bit my lower lip, "Cool. You do realize that Ellie likes Tiks, right?"

Opie frowned. "What? No." He just shook his head. "How do you know that?"

"I noticed the starry-eyed look she got when I mentioned Tiki. I am a girl, I know that look all too well." And I was starting to know it all too well again. _Reign it in Nora!_ I drew a deep breath. "You have a lot to learn about having a daughter Opie," I smirked as I started to my car again. As I got to the door Opie called after me. Shit, could I not get his kids to school?

"Can you swing by and bring me to the club after you bring the kids to school?" He asked me.

"Yeah, no problem. I will let you buy me a fancy coffee on the way to the mothership." I smirked as I used his line against him.

"How sweet of you, mermaid." He offered up.

Touché Opie. Touché!


	4. Good Enough

I was far too antsy and anxious to work on anything at home, so I decided to head over to the clubhouse. I was super excited, I hadn't seen my brother in the flesh for far too long. My mom hadn't really allowed me to see Tiki after everything had happened with her boyfriend. She was just as stubborn as I was, and she wasn't going to forgive me for what happened and I was sure we would never see eye to eye, EVER! Either way, it had just been too long, and I was too amped up to do anything that needed focus.

The parking lot was pretty cleared out when I pulled in, there were a few bikes and cars. When I had dropped Opie off at the club earlier that day, I had heard my dad say something about a meeting. He had planned on going to pick up Tiki after. So, I was surprised to walk into the clubhouse and saw Juice belly up to the bar with his computer in front of him. I saddled up on the chair next to him.

He stopped what he was doing and smiled lazily at me. "Thank god, you are here." He had a look of sincere relief in his eyes. "If I had to stare at that computer screen for another minute, I think my brain might have exploded." That was a lot coming from a guy, who could spend hours staring at a screen playing video games.

I wrinkled my nose as I visualized Juice's head exploding. "Well, I am glad that I could help that from not happening. Imagine the mess that I just saved Sack from having to clean up." I smirked over at Half-Sack, who was cleaning up behind the bar.

Juice laughed. "Waiting for Bobby?" He asked when he clearly knew the answer.

I nodded in response. "I couldn't sit around my place anymore. I am far too excited to see my little brother. I couldn't focus on anything. I figured I would come here and get a drink and keep Half-Sack company. Say, why are you here anyway?" I asked even though I knew I shouldn't have. But oh, how I loved livin' on the edge.

Juice's brown eyes searched my face before responding. "Intel shit." Was his response.

Before I could formulate a smart-ass reply, my phone alerted me that I had a text message. I pulled it out of my bag, it was a message from Rose.

_Check your email. :(_

Fuck, I thought. I was not at home where I could readily check my email; it was unlike Rose to send me a cryptic text. I knew nothing good was going to come from this email.

I took a deep breath. "Can I use your computer for a minute?" I asked Juice.

"Sure." He gave me a confused look before handing his laptop to me. He must have trusted me a lot to just hand over his computer. Or he knew I didn't know shit when it came to computers. Most of the time I was lucky if I could figure out how to change the background of the home screen. "Is everything okay?"

I smiled and nodded at him as I grabbed his laptop and went to one of the tables. I didn't need anyone knowing my business. I was grateful that Juice seemed to know that I wanted my privacy and started chatting with Sack. It seemed like a lifetime before I could get my email to open. My heart was beating extremely hard in my chest and my hands began to sweat when I saw the first email on my list. It was from Sarah and it had an attachment.

I tried to calm myself by taking a deep breath and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. I made sure that Juice's sound was turned down before opening the video that she had attached to the email. It was the same video that she had sent me before, but this was the first time she had copied Rose to the email. I quickly closed the video and gazed up at the note that was included in the email.

_It would be a shame if Rose's parents saw this._

_-Sarah_

She had included Rose's parent email addresses or what I assumed were her parents' email addresses in the email. All she would have had to do is copy them to the email.

I could feel my face flush with anger. I quickly closed out my email and closed Juice's computer. I needed fresh air, the walls of the clubhouse were closing in on me, I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. I didn't how to protect my best friend from potentially being disowned by her parents. I heard Juice call my name, but I disregarded him as I rushed outside. I let the dry air fill my lungs when I stepped outside. I was on the verge of tears; I tried to swallow them down as I sat down at one of the tables. I put my head down and tried to wish away this shit situation that I had put Rose and myself in.

"Nora, you want to tell me what that video is about?" Juice asked, I felt him sit down next to me at the picnic table. "Seriously Nor, that is some hot shit but come on, what is going on?" Of course, he had found a way to look at the video. I knew, that he hadn't gotten to the raunchier part of the video because he had come out shortly after I had.

I didn't want my family to get involved because nothing good ever came from the club being involved. I had just hoped that moving back home would have cured it. And for a while, it seemed to have helped but obviously, it had not stopped Sarah. I slowly lifted my head and was met by Juice's concerned face. I looked away from him, I couldn't let him see my fear and shame.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" He turned my face, so I was looking at him. "Nora, if you are in some sort of trouble, you know the club is here."

I shook my head, "I don't want to talk about it Juice. I want this whole fucked up situation to just disappear without the club getting involved." I frowned and tried to get up, but Juice pulled me back down.

He no longer had his normal, happy-go-lucky look on his face, a seriousness that I had never seen before was set in his eyes. "Nora, tell me what the fuck happened in New York. I mean, what I saw of the video…I mean if you are into women, you know we are all cool with that shit." His voice was commanding.

I held up my hand to stop him. I didn't need to know what he thought about the video. "If I tell you I need two things from you, first you can not tell any one and second promise me you will delete that video forever." Maybe Juice could help me; he had amazing computer prowess.

I waited for Juice to nod in agreement. "I don't even know where to begin…" I couldn't exactly pinpoint when everything began with Sarah, was it when I met Rose? Was it when I started dating guys we went to school with? Or was it sooner than that? I took a deep breath before continuing. "The girl who took that video did it without our knowledge or permission. College is a place for experimentation, isn't it?" I asked but didn't wait for his answer before going on. "Rose and I are best friends, we have been since I decided that I like men better than women. That video cannot get back to Rose's parents Juice. Please, they don't know that she would rather be in a relationship with women verse men. They wouldn't understand." I felt like I was begging Juice. "They would disown her."

He studied me for a moment. Actually, I felt like he was staring into my soul. "So, you want me to make the video disappear is that what you are saying? I am sure I can do that but Nora, that doesn't explain anything. So, what you fucked around with another hot girl and the hot girl's parents are fucking assholes. I saw your face go pale. Tell me what the fuck happened, or I am talking to your old man." Juice threatened me.

"Sarah is what the fuck happened!" I snapped. "She was my first roommate in college. She was great at first, or so I thought. It was nice to have someone who didn't just want to be my friend because I had all the hot bikers around me. But, as time went on, she got needy and possessive of me. She would get angry with me when I went out without her or if I made new friends. Shit, she changed her god damn major, so she could have some of the same classes as me. Juice, shit just go weird. I moved in with Rose and her friends in our second year. I had hoped that her infatuation would just dissipate, but it almost seemed like it worse as time went on. One day in class I sat down and noticed she was wearing one of my shirts. I would have just passed it off as a fluke, but it was a fucking SOA shirt that I had. When I got home I searched everywhere for it, it was gone. I thought that coming home and getting away from her craziness would help but it hasn't really. Now she is just threatening my best friend." I could feel tears of frustration building. I hadn't told Juice everything, but it was enough to get him off my back and not bring up my drama to my dad.

Juice sat quietly for a few moments. His brown eyes looked at me with concern and something that edged on sympathy. I didn't need his sympathy, what I needed was his computer prowess. I needed to know I could trust him. "Alright, Nora. I will see what I can do about that video. Even though it really isn't anything to be ashamed of, but I get it, it was a huge invasion of privacy and not something you wanted to be filmed. I really think you should talk to your dad about this. The club could help out but I will respect your request and keep your secret." Juice said, just as my dad and the rest of the club came rolling in.

I was grateful for the reprieve even if it was only a brief one. Relief washed over me as I thought about seeing Tiki. It wouldn't be long before I would push my problems into the back of my head where they hung there like a dark unwanted shadow. I got up and started to make my way towards the van which I knew held my little brother.

"Nor?" Juice's voice called to me. I turned to look at him. "Don't make me regret this." He had a bit of apprehension in his voice.

I shook my head, made an "x" over my heart and continued my previous course to the van. Tiki was getting out next to my dad. He was nearly as tall as our dad. His hair was a sandy blonde color and he had cut off all his curls to a short buzz cut. Poor, the kid had gotten cursed by our dad's curly locks. Thankfully, he had the sense to cut them off, unlike our dad.

"Nora!" Tiki exclaimed when he saw me, ignoring what our dad was saying to him. His voice had grown slightly deeper since the last time I spoke to him; it surprised me. He had a huge smile on his thin face.

I embraced my brother as soon as I got to him. I was so happy to finally have him in my arms again. "God, I've missed you!" I exclaimed, not wanting to let go, but also not wanting to seem like I was crazy. I held Tiki out at arm's length and took him in. His eyes mimicked my own. We had our dad's expressive brown eyes. Another inch and he would be taller than me. He was gangly. I had missed so much of his life. Shoot, I had missed too much of everything in Charming.

"I've missed you too, Sis." He smirked. Shoot, no wonder Ellie had a thing for him. "Dad told me I get to hang with you tonight."

"Heading to Opie's to spend time with Ellie and Kenny, if you're cool with that. Otherwise, we could always hang out another night just you and me." I smiled. I couldn't wait to get to know my little brother again. There was only so much I could learn about him from emails and letters.

He shook his head in agreement. "Yeah, Kenny and I have a great time gaming when I am here." He looked over my shoulder. "Hey, Juice." Tiki did a quick nod in his direction.

Juice. His name reminded me of Sarah now. He held my past in his hands and as good as it felt to let it out. I only hoped that I wouldn't regret telling him.

"Hey, Tiks. Bring any good games with you?" Juice spoke with my little brother like they were old friends.

"Oh yeah!" Tiki beamed at Juice as they started talking about games.

I would have been lying if I said, I listened to them talk about video games. I zoned right out, games were not really my thing. Now, if we were talking about art, I could have actively listened and then talked their ears off.

I watched Opie stride purposely towards his dad, who had just parked his trike. My heart skipped a beat when I noticed him. _Fucking heart, stop betraying me_ , I thought. What the heck was my issue? Opie was off-limits. He glanced in our direction and caught me staring; he smiled at me. I quickly turned and acted like I was listening intensely to Juice and Tiki. But I was really just hiding my face, which I could tell was flushed with embarrassment. Juice raised an all-knowing eyebrow at me, then turned back to my brother. _Shit!_ Now he had another thing to hold over my head if he wanted to. Why I was crushing so hard on Opie? Sure, he was hotter than I remembered and he was available but not really. I really had to start picturing Donna every time my libido went into overdrive over Ope. _Nothing can happen_ , I told myself.

* * *

"Tiki, please calm down and try to breathe!" I tried to ease my little brother's fears, he was having an asthma attack. His breaths were raspy, and he coughed hard as he tried to catch his breath. "Please, you need to calm down!" Tears were forming in my eyes as I held my phone up to my ear. I had called 911. There was no way I would have been able to get him to the hospital in time. He needed oxygen support, as soon as possible. Thankfully the ambulance was on its way, but the operator wanted to keep me on the line in case of further emergency. Like they could help through the fucking phone, it just made me more upset.

Tiki panicked more when he noticed the tears falling from my eyes. He struggled to breathe even more; his lips were beginning to turn a slight shade of blue. I held my brother's hand as he coughed harder. I didn't think anything of letting him and Kenny play catch outside until he came in struggling to breathe. He could barely get out that he had left his inhaler at dad's house. _Stupid, fucking kid; he knew better!_

"Tiki, please calm down and try to breathe slowly." Short, rapid breaths were his response.

Thankfully, I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. "Kenny, Ellie, go get in my car," I ordered them. They had been hovering near us since Tiki came in ten minutes before. Ellie frowned, I could tell she wanted to be near Tiki. I couldn't blame her. I gave her a pleading look and she finally turned to join Kenny in the car.

There was no way I wasn't going to head to the hospital with Tiki. "The ambulance is here," I stated to the emergency operator.

"Alright. I am sure your brother will do well thanks to your quick actions Miss Munson." The woman on the other line said. Her voice was warm and reassuring but it did nothing for my frayed nerves. I just needed my brother to be okay.

The paramedics came and began to work on him. A tall black, haired paramedic pulled me away from Tiki. I couldn't help but glare at him, I just wanted to be by his side. Tall, dark, and muscly placed his hand gently on my shoulder, "Miss Munson, we will be bringing your brother to St. Thomas if you would like to meet us there."

I nodded and watched the paramedics rush my brother out of the house. I quickly gathered my stuff and tried to call my dad, it went right to voicemail. I left a message for him and called Gemma, who said she would meet me at the hospital.

When we got to the hospital there was nothing to do but sit and wait. One of the nurses said that my brother was stable but he would likely have to stay the night. He could have visitors once he had more of his rescue protocols. Gemma had arrived and took the kids to the cafeteria for some ice cream. I was so grateful for her, it gave me some time to get my emotions in check. No need to freak the kids out anymore, than they already were.

I pulled out my cell to see if my dad called; he hadn't. It was then I realized that if Opie were to come home, he would have no clue where we were. I hit his number on my cell; it rang twice before he picked up.

"Hey, Nora. Is everything okay?" Ope questioned.

Tears welled up in my eyes again. "No. I mean…Ellie and Kenny are okay, but Tiki had an asthma attack. I wanted to let you know we are at St. Thomas." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Shit. Okay. We are just about ready to head back from Oakland. I'll head up there when we get in. Does your dad know?" Opie's voice oozed with concern.

I sniffled a bit before answering him. "No. I tried to get ahold of him but his burner went right to voicemail. If you're with him I would appreciate you telling him."

"Yeah. I'll let him know. We'll be there soon Nora." Opie stated.

"Thanks, Opie," I murmured before hanging up.

Gemma and the kids finally came back up to the waiting room. The kids were happy enough to have ice cream and a TV to watch after I reassured them that Tiki was okay and we would be able to see him shortly. Gemma sat down next to me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

"How are you doing sweetheart?" She asked even though she knew the answer.

I took a deep breath as I realized the depth of the situation. "I feel like shit. Tiki could have died." I replied in a hushed tone. I didn't want Ellie or Kenny to hear what I was saying. They didn't need to deal with the fact that they could have lost yet another person in their lives. They didn't need that stress.

"Nora, you did a good job holding everything together today and Tiki didn't die because of that. You know as well I do that he knows better than to leave his inhaler behind. You saved your brother's life today, sweetheart." Gemma put a spin on what happened in only the way she could.

We had been there for nearly an hour when my mom stormed into the waiting room. She looked older, which would make sense. Her bleach blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her black-lined, ice blue eyes searched the room before stomping over to Gemma and me.

"I should have known you were involved." My mom snapped as she glared at me. I could see that our issues with each other were not just water under the bridge after all the time that had passed. I wasn't in the mood to deal with her shit. I shifted in frustration.

"It's nice to see you too, Precious." Gemma stood up, placing herself between us as a buffer. _Thank god._ My mom knew better than to mess with the Queen of SAMCRO.

"Gemma." My mom's tone was calmer. "Thank you for coming up here. Do you know where my deadbeat ex is?"

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying what I wanted to. She had no right to call my dad a deadbeat, especially when he was far from one. "He is on his way. Tiki is stable, they should be finishing up with is rescue protocols shortly." I tried not to be snarky but it was hard to be nice when she came in with guns blazing.

"Tiki better be okay or you will have a lot to answer for young lady." Her words bit at me as she quickly turned and made her way out of the waiting room.

How could she still make me feel so small and worthless after all this time? She made me feel so guilty. I stood up quickly and followed her out of the room.

"Mom?" I called after her. She stopped in her tracks and turned; I was sure that she didn't expect me to go after her or call her mom for that matter.

"What do you want Nora?" Her voice oozed with annoyance. I knew I was the thorn in her side when it came to her children. Tiki was her pride and joy.

"I'm sorry that this happened. Tiki didn't bring his inhaler with us." The infuriated look on her face made me bite back, "Although, one would think at his age he would remember such an important item or that someone would have taught him better." I said with quiet venom.

I could tell I had just pushed the right button to make her snap. Her eyes narrowed and her face turned red. She pushed me up against the wall and hissed through her teeth, "Listen here young lady, if I have anything to say about it you will never see Tiki again. He could have died today because you allowed him to leave without his inhaler." She was going to turn to walk away but quickly turned back. "I can see that your time away hasn't changed you one bit." My mom returned on her previous path to Tiki's room.

I tried to fight back the tears because she didn't deserve them, but they still spilled from my eyes like a flood. I slid down the wall and buried my face in my knees. My mother had a great way of making me feel horrible about myself. No wonder I had confidence issues even after the time.

A hand gently touched my shoulder, "Nora, are you okay?" I looked up to find Opie kneeling next to me.

"How much of that did you see?" I asked as we stood up together. I knew that he probably caught at least some of my confrontation with my mom.

"I saw enough." His thumbs brushed a few stray tears from my cheeks. "Don't listen to her Nora. I trust you with my kids more, than their grandparents." Opie embraced me. "And you have changed." He said quietly.

Being in his arms felt so right.


	5. Elvis Lives

It had been two months since Tiki's hospitalization and my mom had still not allowed my dad to see him. After everything went down I tried to lay low while my dad had tried to straighten things out with my mom, but she wasn't having any of it. She blamed me for what happened and not her teenage son, who should have known better. I didn't blame Tiki for what happened, how could I? It was just a horrible mistake made on both parts. It sucked all around. I was hoping Tiki would eventually convince our mom that he should be allowed to see our dad and me, but until then I was left without my little brother again. Precious was a selfish bitch. I knew at that point I would never be able to salvage a relationship with her and that Gemma would the only motherly figure I would have.

The first few weeks after everything went down, I kept to myself, trying to process everything that had happened and maybe in some ways mourning the loss of the relationship with my mom. As much as I hated to admit it, I had always hoped that one day we would have been able to put some of the pieces back together. I took the time to work on some art because nothing healed my soul more than art. However, as time went on, I knew I needed contact with people, or I would actually go crazy. So, I went to the clubhouse or to help Gemma with Teller-Morrow or more increasingly hung out with Ellie and Kenny, but that was pretty much my life along with my art. My life really was mundane and it made me miss the hubbub of New York, there was always something going on. 

"Hey, Nora." Juice sat down at the table with me. "Whatcha workin' on?" He turned my sketch pad towards him. "Clothes?" He gave me a confused look.

I nodded as my cheeks flushed, "yeah, double major, clothing design and fine art," I shrugged. "My friends are doing some sort of project and they asked me to design the clothes for it. I have to have these to them by the end of next week." I pulled my sketch pad back to me and continued sketching.

"Huh. I didn't realize you, double major or designed clothes." Juice smirked. "Those are really good, by the way." His compliment meant a lot to me, even if he had zero clue what fashion was.

"Thanks. I think I am having a hard time designing them because I am on a timeline and specifications for the clothes. I would rather just design what I want to and not because I have to. And yes, I doubled, because I have always loved fashion and it would pay the bills if my art didn't sell." I felt self-conscious. My family hadn't seen my clothing designs and I didn't know how I felt about them seeing them. 

"Well, I think you made the right decision." Juice smiled. "Oh, hey, I got rid of that video finally. There is no trace of it anywhere on the internet or Sarah's computer. You realize what a pain in the ass, it was correct?" Juice had been tracking Sarah's emails and computers daily. He kept watching for the video several times a day since he had learned about it. He was such an amazing friend and ally. I couldn't have asked for anyone better to have on my side. I was so blessed to have his computer prowess on my side.

I squealed with delight and jumped across the table at Juice and embraced him. "You don't know how happy you just made me. I owe you big time Juice." I smiled broadly.

"Woah, get a room," Jax said from behind me. I could hear his smirk, without even looking at him.

I quickly pulled away from Juice and turned around with a glare but was met by not only Jax but Opie's face as well. I could only guess what my embrace with Juice looked like to an onlooker. I knew that the guys were worse than women when it came to gossip, and they thought Juice and I have been hooking up since my first night back in town. So, that moment likely just solidified it for them. I couldn't wait for that gossip to go around.

"Whatever, Jackson." Was the only reply I could come up with without bringing up anything about Sarah. I had hidden it for months, so there was no way I was going to break then. "Hey, Ope." I gave him a quick smile.

I hadn't seen him much over the past week, the kids went to visit Donna's sister and her family for a few weeks. It was good for them to get out of Charming for a while, they needed to get out of the place that reminded them so much of their mom and their loss. The kids and I were looking at pictures one day when I was hanging out with them and they had both asked me to paint pictures of Donna for them. I had them pick out their favorite picture of her and had set to work on them. I let them know I would have them ready for them when they got home. Something for them to look forward to.

"Nora," Opie replied, he barely looked at me, before heading to the bar where Half-Sack was already pouring him and Jax beers.

"Nor, you going to your dad's show tonight?" Juice asked as a stared after Opie. No need in hiding what or who I wanted from Juice since he already knew and I was grateful he didn't ask me about it. 

My dad had an Elvis impersonation show that he had actually invited the club to in Lodi. I was looking forward to seeing my dad sing again, it had been ages. "Of course, I am. Do you really think that I would miss his show?" When I was younger I made it to as many shows as I could. 

"Didn't know if you were into Elvis and shit." Juice seemed shocked. He obviously didn't know that my dad had promoted the love of Elvis in our household, to a point of embarrassment.

I stared a Juice for a moment wondering if he was really questioning if I liked Elvis or not. "You do realize you are talking to an Elvis impersonator's daughter. I am pretty sure that I came out of the womb to my dad singing an Elvis song." I shook my head because it wasn't far from the truth. "Jax, is Tara coming tonight?" I asked looking towards the bar trying not to look at Opie.

Since my return to Charming and my not-so-welcoming first night home; Tara and I had become pretty close. We had gone out for coffee a few times and had hung out at a few of the club parties. I really liked her. She was as funny, as she was smart and beautiful. I could see what Jax saw in her, she so different from the teenage Tara that broke Jax's heart.

"Yeah, she's going. I am going to swing by her place and pick her up before the show. How you are getting there?" Jax asked, knowing I was sensitive about being seen outside of a show with my dad dressed as Elvis. 

"I was going to drive. My dad has to get there early for his mic check and like hell, am I going to ride with him dressed as Elvis." I flushed with embarrassment remembering when he had taken me to school dressed in his white Elvis getup. I never quite lived that one down. It seemed to be a theme in my life…not living things down.

Juice piped in. "I can bring you. I'll swing past your loft on my way to Lodi."

"Sure. I'll be ready by 6. I should head home soon. I have some things I need to get done before I go out tonight." I said glancing up at Opie, who was talking to Jax but seemed to be listening to my conversation with Juice. "Thank you for everything Juice. I mean it." I said in a hushed tone, as I started gathering up my stuff.

Juice shrugged, "No problem. You do realize that she is a pain in the ass because the video just kept popping up." His voice was quiet.

"Well, you have two very happy women, who owe you big time." I grinned thinking about how happy Rose would be now that, that video was off of the internet and our radar.

A sly look crossed Juice's face. "Maybe you could reenact it for me sometime. I know plenty of croweaters, who would help out." It led me to believe that he had watched more than I knew about. Thankfully, he didn't say if he did.

"In your dreams Ortiz." I said a bit too loudly. I knew he was joking or at least I hoped he was. That stage in my life was over. "Bye guys, I will see you later tonight." I waved at them on my way out.

* * *

I got off of the back of Juice's bike and pulled off my helmet. I prayed that my hair was not destroyed by wearing the helmet. I hadn't spent an hour getting ready just to have my hair ruined. It was a rare occurrence that I actually did anything to my hair other than throw it up in a messy bun. I had decided to curl it; I had not been _graced_ with my dad's naturally curly hair but more of my mom's flat stick straight hair.

"Thanks for the ride Juice." I smiled as I made my way into the club. He stayed out with Jax and Chibs, who were finishing up their cigarettes.

The place was packed but my dad had a table reserved for us right next to the stage. I pulled off my leather jacket and set it on the back of the chair next to Tara. She was wearing a low cut tightly fitting black tank top and jeans.

"Dang, girl." She smiled up at me. I might have been a bit overdressed for the club, but it had been ages since I had been out. I was wearing a low-cut billowy gray tank top, a pair of dark wash skinny ankle jeans, and heels. "What's your tattoo of?" She asked staring at my chest. 

I looked down at my cleavage where my tattoo peaked out between my breasts. "Watercolor branch with leaves. My friend designed it." I sat down and showed her part of my tattoo. Most of it was hidden, around and under my left breast.

"You giving my old lady a free show Nor?" Jax chuckled; he sat down on the other side of Tara.

I straightened up. "The first one is always free Jackson." I rolled my eyes. "I was actually showing her my tattoo." I shrugged as I sat down. A few seconds later a beer was sat in front of me. I looked up to see Opie had been the one who graced me with the beer. He sat next to me, "Hey, thanks Ope." I smiled over at him. Sweet Jesus, he smelled good. 

"No problem, Nor." He smiled back at me. "I am surprised you got here in one piece with the way Juice rides." Opie snickered at Juice, who had just joined our table.

I nodded and laughed. "Oh, you don't even know how scared for my life I was." I teased.

Juice snorted as he took a drink out of his glass. "Har har, keep it up fuckers. By the way Nora, how are you going to get home tonight?"

Truthfully, Juice was probably one of the safest drivers I had ever met. He was probably overly cautious when he had someone riding with him. I had absolutely no fear for my life. I knew I was in very capable hands, actually, I was with any of the guys in the club.

"Oh, I will figure something out. I mean if I have to ride home with fat Elvis, I will." I really hoped I wouldn't have to, but it was a means to get home. Don't get me wrong I loved my dad, but I had serious issues riding with him while he was dressed as Elvis in his SAMCRO kutt.

"I got you, Nora," Opie said lowly as the lights dimmed.

I leaned close to him, "Thanks for having my back, Opie," I whispered, wishing that he had more than just my back. _Fuck reign, it in girl._ Sure, we had done some harmless flirting while we were around the clubhouse or after I had stayed with the kids, but that was it. Nothing had ever come of any of it. It didn't mean that I didn't ache for Opie to touch me. And by ache, I mean I had to occasionally take cold showers.

"Anytime." His eyes traveled from my lips to my eyes. There was a flash of something in his eyes before he turned with a smirk towards the stage. What I would have given to know what he was thinking.

I moved back to my original position and watched my dad take the stage. I hadn't seen him dressed in his white Elvis costume with his wig, in what felt like a lifetime. A lifetime of stuff had definitely happened in that time. I let out an excited hoot and clapped enthusiastically.

"Thank you, thank you very much." He spoke in his best Elvis voice before picking up his guitar and strumming it quickly before starting his first song. _Heartbreak Hotel_. One of my favorites. He followed up with another one of my favorites, _Love Me Tender._ When he got to his third song he stopped. "Alright, y'all tonight is a very special night for this Elvis. My sweet daughter is here watching her old man. I used to sing this song to get her to go to sleep at night. This is for you baby girl."

I knew what song he was talking about instantly. _All Shook Up_. He sang to me the whole time. Well, where he knew I was sitting. It was totally our song, I remember him singing it to me so many times while I was growing up. I learned how to make the popping noise for the song and it was hard as an adult to refrain from doing it. It didn't stop me from tapping my foot and bobbing my head while sitting there. When the song ended I stood up and cheered for my dad.

"Thank you. So, I would like to invite my daughter up on the stage. I am sure none of you know that she is a pretty decent singer. Maybe she will sing a little Elvis for you." My dad said boldly. "Come on up here Nora."

 _Oh Fuck NO!_ I thought as I sat back down and slouched in my seat trying to make myself as small as possible. There was no way in hell I was going to sing in front of all these people. 

"Go on Nora!" Jax snickered, knowing that I hated to sing in public.

"No, thank you." I shook my head fiercely. I was not okay with singing. It was definitely not my cup of tea. I only did it in the shower or the car by MYSELF! Not in front of people.

"NORA! NORA! NORA!" Juice started a chant which of course the whole table chimed in, which lead to the whole club starting in. _Asshole, I would remember that._

Opie looked over at me and shoved his drink in front of me. "A little liquid courage. Bottoms up."

I polished off my drink, then stood and poured what Ope had left of his beer in my mouth. As I passed Juice I leaned close and muttered. "Revenge is a bitch Ortiz."

I heard him laughing hard at my threat, as I made my way up to the stage. Cheers came from the SAMCRO section. "Daddy." I glared at him as he handed me the microphone.

"Stage is all yours, baby girl." He smiled at me. Ugh! How could I be mad at him? He turned his back to me said something to the band. "Fever?" He asked.

I nodded. "This song isn't an Elvis original, it was actually made famous by Peggie Sue and Little Willie John. But I have to say I like Elvis' version the best."

The bass started in and the guitarist and my dad both started snapping their fingers. I took a deep breath before singing. "Never know how much I loved you. Never know how much I care. When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear. You give me fever when you kiss me. Fever when you hold me tight. Fever in the morning. Fever all through the night…." I sang but couldn't help but think about Opie when I sang the song. He certainly gave me a fever.

Before I knew it, I was done singing the song and the crowd was hooting and hollering loudly. My dad hugged me and kissed my head after I did a quick bow. I handed the show back over to him as I made my way back to the table where there was a fresh beer waiting for me. THANK GOD! I needed it. Although, singing in front of the crowd was exhilarating. I also felt completely nude in front of them, kind of like I was bearing my soul to them. A soul that I didn't want them to see.

"So, which one of you, assholes left during my song to get me this?" I held up my glass as I gave them all the stink eye.

"We sent the prospect," Opie said. "You know we wouldn't miss your debut. But figured you might want something to drink when you got back." _How thoughtful of Opie._

Throughout the rest of my dad's show whenever my beer was getting empty it was replaced. I was too busy watching my dad or talking with Tara to notice who had been replacing them. But I always had a glass that had something in it. I hadn't realized how much I had to drink until I stood up and the room did a bit of a tilt. I grabbed onto the chair to steadied myself.

"How about we go together." Tara smiled at me as she took my arm into hers; I could only assume she had to use the bathroom as much as I did. 

"How much have I had to drink?" I whispered to her, not wanting to let anyone know I was probably a little too tipsy to care who was feeding me the drinks. 

"I have no idea, but the prospect has kept your glass full all night. It seems like someone wants to get you drunk." Tara shrugged. "He's kept mine full too." She let out a giggle.

It was nice to see Tara loosen up, she had so much on her plate with her job and taking on care of Abel. She always seemed like she was on edge but not anymore.

"I wonder who put him up to it?" I shrugged as we finished up in the bathroom and made our way back to the table. "Well, we both know Jax is the one who told Sack to keep your cup full."

Tara hiccupped, "yup. Good thing Gemma has Abel tonight." She gave me a sly smile. Once that would have made me jealous of her, but I was coming to terms with the whole never getting to be with Jax. Plus, there was a much taller drink of water I was interested in; my eyes drifted to Opie. "Maybe it was Juice." Tara teased.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "No. Why do you guys think that Juice and I have something going on? We are just friends. He's the annoying, slightly older brother, I never had." I almost told her that he was helping me out with an issue, but realized that would open the door to have to talk about Sarah. The longer I kept her secret the better.

Tara put her arm around me. "Oh, Nor. I was only joking." She hugged me close to her.

"Mmmmm." I shook my head. "Can we just drop it? Nothing is going on between us. Nor will there ever be." If Tara thought that Juice and I were an item; what did the rest of the club think? Okay, more like what did Opie think? I tried to push it out of my head and made a note to distance myself from Juice.

My dad was standing at the table when Tara and I got back. "You did great baby girl." He pulled me in and kissed my head.

I glared at him, "A heads up would've been good or a way out. I mean with these assholes, there was absolutely no way of getting out." I shoved my dad lightly.

"Voice of an angel." My dad took a drink of whatever was in his glass. It smelled like whiskey.

"Hmmm. I'll give you, the voice of an angel." I grinned and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Okay, who has been feeding this one drinks?" My dad asked as every one of his brothers there pointed at the prospect.

Half-Sack frowned as his brothers pointed at him; naturally throwing him under the bus. He kept his mouth shut though, not ratting out the person who had asked him to keep my glass full. He would eventually make a good full-fledged member.

"Dude, you will be cleaning up her vomit." Jax joked pointing at Half-Sack. He probably cleaned up far worse. I had seen what the clubhouse looked like after a full-on SAMCRO party.

I glared at Jax, "Your jokes are getting a little old, you really need some new ones, Jackson." I knew I would never live down the fact that barfed on him, but for some reason, it felt weird talking about it around Tara. I knew that she wasn't in the picture when it happened, but it made me uncomfortable.

Jax didn't have a response, he just laughed at me. He turned to Tara, who was rubbing herself against him to the beat of the background music, and asked her if she was ready to head home. I chewed on my lower lip watching their interaction; jealousy was at the forefront of my mind. I yearned for what Jax and Tara had. That connection.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Opie said quietly in my ear. I hadn't even noticed he was behind me.

I turned around and looked up at him. "Ope, you don't need to bring me home. I can catch a ride with my dad." I glanced over at my dad, who had just settled down with Chibs and Tig for a round of beers. "Ummm."

Opie laughed. Ugh, his laugh gave me butterflies. "I go right by your place Nora. You do so much for me and the kids, let me take you back to your place."

I nodded in agreement. "Alright let me just go say goodbye to my dad." I walked over to my dad and hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek. "Bye Daddy."

He looked over his shoulder, his brown eyes searched my face. "You leaving so soon?"

"Yeah, Ope is going to give me a ride home. I need to work on my clothing designs, tomorrow and if I say and drink it's not going to happen."

"Alright baby." My dad then pointed at Opie. "You take good care of my daughter."

Opie glanced at me and then at my dad. "Of course."

I couldn't believe that my dad said that to Opie. He had never really said anything like that to his brothers. He knew I was in good hands with them. I was probably safer with them than I was with him. Or at least that was how I felt.

We walked out with Jax and Tara; she linked arms with me again. "You need to come over next weekend and have a girl's night with me. We can rent a few movies or look through what Jax has." I gave her a sideways glance because we both knew Jackson's movies were not something we would watch. Tara laughed, "Yeah, we will rent a movie…Jax probably just has porn and motorcycle movies."

I laughed. "I would love to hang out. It will give me something to look forward to after working my ass off on my designs." I had to get them to Miranda and Leif by the end of the week.

I stopped by Juice's motorcycle and collected my helmet. I strapped it on while walking to Opie's bike. This would be the closest I had been to him since the night he came home drunk.

Opie had his Harley started and ready to go when I got to him. I climbed on the back of his bike and wrapped my arms around him. God, he still smelled so good, I could have sat like that for hours. My stomach did flips, and my hormones were in high drive. I would have to have an ice bath after the ride.

"Ready, mermaid?" Ope turned his head and asked.

I nodded, "So ready!" With that, he took off. _More ready than you'll ever know._ I thought to myself.

The ride to my place was not long enough. I was dying to go further and longer. Opie pulled his bike up to the front of the building that held my loft; I reluctantly got off when he came to a park. But what surprised me was Opie got off as well. He gazed down at me.

"You going to invite me in?" He asked boldly.

 _Fuck, absolutely yes!_ I thought to myself. I reigned myself in. "Sure, you want to come into my loft and have a beer, Opie?" I did a quick run-through in my head about whether I had left anything out that shouldn't have been left out. I couldn't remember leaving any dirty underwear or worse out, so I was doing pretty well. My paintings of Donna weren't anything but drawings at that point and they were put away.

"A beer too?" He smirked as he followed me to the building. I unlocked the door and we made our way up to my door.

Opie was so close to me. I was sure if I had turned around I would have been faced to face, well face to chest with him. I opened my door and allowed him to go in first. "Welcome to my place." I turned on the light next to the door.

He looked around my small loft and smiled. "This is nice Nora."

"Hey, thanks." I giggled as I grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge. "I haven't had any guys here since I was like 17. I feel like I am breaking rules." It tended to be a place where I brought guys when I was younger. Mainly my boyfriend at the time but there were a few one-night stands that happened after my ex.

Opie snorted. "Oh, you're such a rebel, Nor." His gaze traveled to my tattoo peaking out of my breasts. "What made you get that there?" He asked.

I looked down at my tattoo. "I thought it would fit nicely." It was really the only explanation I had for him. I liked how it fit. I was definitely all about the aesthetically pleasing position of my tattoos.

"It looks good there, Nor." He closed the space between us and ran his hand across my tattoo.

My heart was pounding hard and my breathing picked up. I looked up at Opie, his hazel eyes were warm and inviting. He brushed a stray hair out of the way and cupped my face. Was he really going to make a move? After all this time? And after such a short time since Donna? Of course, she would enter my mind at that moment, I pushed here into the back of my head, where I pushed everything I didn't want to deal with.

"God damn you're beautiful Nora," Opie whispered before wrapping his arms around me and placing his lips on mine.

He tasted like beer and tobacco as his tongue entered my mouth. I moaned against him as his hands entangled in my hair. My mind was utter mush and I was a ball of utter lust. I wrapped my arms around him and grasped him close to me. He knew what he was doing that was for sure. If it wasn't for his burner vibrating in his pocket I am sure things would have progressed between us.

"Fuck." He muttered as he pulled away from me. I was left panting and wanting so much more. "Yeah?" He answered. "Okay. Yeah. No problem. I'm dropping Nora off right now. I'll stop by Jax on my way." Opie quickly closed his phone with a frown. "I'm sorry. I have to go. We will have to pick that up some other time." He smirked and kissed me quickly before making his way out the door.

I took a deep breath after he left and plopped myself down on my love seat. That kiss was good…it was really fucking good.


	6. Dreams Bigger than Charming

I dreamed about Opie’s lips on mine all-night long. Every part of me wanted more of that, so much more. When I woke the next morning, I was convinced that our encounter was just a dream. A fabulous dream; even though it seemed so real. 

I rolled over in bed and the dull thud of a headache started in the back of my brain. I climbed out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. I would have to be sure to thank Half-Sack for making sure that my glass never went empty all night. I grabbed some painkillers, threw them in my mouth, and stuck my face under the faucet to get a drink of water. I wiped the water off my face with my sleeve and stared at myself in the mirror for a while. I had just dyed my hair a few weeks prior, but the color was already starting to fade to a lighter shade of teal. I considered dying my hair back to its natural golden-brown color, it would certainly be easier. My first thought was I wouldn’t be a mermaid anymore. _Nope, leaving it for now._ I thought to myself. 

The floor was cool under my bare feet as I walked out into the kitchenette. Two beer bottles were sitting on the counter. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach; the kiss hadn’t been a dream. My face flushed with heat and I could feel Opie’s lips on mine all over again. 

“Well fuck.” I muttered in disbelief as I ran my hand through the tangled mess I called hair. 

* * *

The sun was bright and high in the sky by the time I finally left my place. I decided I would show my face at the SAMCRO clubhouse after my dad called me and told me that Gemma was looking for me. She had mentioned that she was going to have one of her dinners and she probably looking for me to help her. Oh, who was I kidding; that was totally why Gemma was looking for me. It was pretty much a requirement for me to help, it always had been. 

I got into my car and had it started before I noticed a piece of paper slipped under the windshield wiper. I frowned, annoyed that I had to get out of my car to grab the paper assuming it was just an advertisement. I had gotten a few of them for new companies that were opening on Main Street. I pulled the paper out from under my wiper, but it wasn’t an advert, it was a note. I guess someone had placed it on the wrong car. I glanced at the note thinking I could direct it to the rightful owner. 

_I should have ignored my cell. Spending time with you would have been so much better. -Opie_

I sharply sucked in a breath. Opie had left me a note; well that was a first. I mean sure I had gotten notes from boys in high school, but I never thought I would get a message from a Son, let alone one that mentioned he would rather be with me than the club. I folded up the note and placed it to my lips before putting it in my glove box. That was all the proof I needed to prove that the kiss I had dreamed about was not really a dream at all. 

I pulled into Teller Morrow and got out of my car. The day shaping up to be a hot one. I was glad I wore a light green billowy tank top and a pair of khaki cotton shorts. One thing that I had not missed about home was the extreme of the California desert heat. Daytimes tended to be excruciating when the nights were slightly cooler, but most of the time not much. Gemma’s car was not in the parking lot, so I started towards the clubhouse, I had planned on making myself at home on the roof to doing some work before the day got too hot. It was quiet, but not too quiet that I couldn’t work. 

“Nor?” Juice called from behind me. I turned to see him walking from the garage. He was wearing a gray Teller Morrow work shirt; the poor guy had garage duty. I knew how much he hated working in the garage even though he was one of the guys who happened to be a more decent mechanic.

“Hey.” I smiled as he reached me. The sound of motorcycles filled the yard. Such a norm to Teller-Morrow and the SAMCRO clubhouse so I didn’t bother to look and see who had pulled in.

Juice ran his hand over his faux-hawk. “So, Bobby pulled me aside yesterday and was pissed off that I hadn’t asked him about dating his kid.” Juice air quoted the word kid. “He said it was disrespectful of me.” 

Of course, my dad did that. I shook my head. “Isn’t Tiki a little young for you Juicy?” I teased, knowing that my dad was talking about me and not Tiki but it felt good to laugh at Juice. He was always good for a laugh and it was nice to laugh at someone else who was not me.

Juice stopped dead in his tracks. “Tiki?” He said quietly and then grabbed me and pulled me into him. “TIKI?!” He smirked at me as he pulled me tightly into him. 

“Let go of me, you dick.” I giggled as I struggled against him. “I can’t help that you have a hard-on for my little brother,” I smirked and punched him as he let go of me. 

“Ouch, shit.” Juice rubbed his stomach where I punched him. “After everything, I did for you.” 

“Serves you right for grabbing me.” I stuck my tongue out at him and proudly pranced into the building. I was sure whoever was in the parking lot just got the same idea about Juice and me that my dad had. Whatever, I guess there was only one person, I cared about thinking that Juice and I were an item and it seemed like we hashed that out last night. 

I asked Half-Sack where Gemma was, he told me that she had just gone to pick up Abel and that she would be back in a while. I thanked him after giving him a hard time about feeding me drinks the night before. He apologized profusely but refused to give up the guy who wanted me drunk, even though it was pretty clear that it was Opie. I finally gave up and made my way up to the roof. I hadn’t been up there since I had left. It was one place where I had found peace when I needed it. It was safe because it was at the clubhouse, but it was also secluded and quiet.

I pulled out my work and started to sketch out one of the last outfits I needed to finish. I just needed to figure out the colors for everything. I had to touch base with Lea and see what sort of color or pattern scheme she was going with. Then I would be finished with this project. The next time I saw the sketches they would be in their physical forms of clothing. For that, I would likely have to head to New York. I sighed, that really was the last place I wanted to be right then.

Footsteps crunching along the rooftop pulled me from my drawing; they were far too heavy to be Gemma or Tara’s. 

“Hey there, Mermaid.” Opie sat down next to me and leaned close to me to look at my handy work. My stomach broke out with instant butterflies. “The clothes are coming along nicely.” Ope smiled at me. He had seen the piles of discarded sketches in his recycling bin; so seeing the finished product was probably nice for him. 

I could feel my face flush. “Thanks, Ope.” I didn’t know how to act around him all of a sudden, especially after the kiss and then the note. All I wanted was to feel his lips on mine again. I cleared my throat before continuing. “Pretty much done. Just need to find out what Miranda and Leif want for colors and then I can finish them up…” I rambled as I looked down at my sketch pad. _Shit, I was nervous._

Opie brushed my hair behind my ear and stared at me. It made me feel so naked. “Did you get my message?” He asked quietly. 

I nodded before looking up at him. “I did. I thought it was a bit of advertisement. I nearly tossed it.” I smirked. “I’ve never had a note left on my car before. It was super sweet, Opie.” I bumped my shoulder into his arm. 

A tiny smile crossed Opie’s face but was quickly replaced by a frown. He looked as he had something on his mind and I was dying to know what it was. He finally broke the silence. “Do you and Juice having something going on?” 

I shook my head. Of course, he thought we did; I mean just the day before he had walked in on me jumping across a table to hug Juice. I also knew that the guys in SAMCRO gossiped worse than retired elderly women. I was sure that the guys also gave Juice a hard time about spending time with me and not getting any pussy. Little did they know he was protecting me and helping me out big time. 

I looked down at my hands that were clutching my sketch pad tightly. “No Opie. There isn’t anything going on between Juice and me. We’re just friends. He’s been helping me out with computer problems, I have been having.” Well, it wasn’t really a lie. “Why do you ask Ope?” I looked back up at him hoping to hear what I longed to hear from him.

“I saw you two when I pulled up, you looked awfully friendly. I don’t want to step in on a brother’s territory.” He replied nonchalantly as if we had this conversation every day. How could he be so god damn calm? I was a bundle of nerves.

“Oh, that.” Why did couldn’t it have been anyone, but Opie who had witnessed that? “I was just giving him shit.” I guessed I should explain myself. “My dad approached him last night and asked him why he hadn’t asked him about spending quality time with his kid. I just told Juice that he was too old for Tiki.” I couldn’t help but laugh when I thought of the look on Juice’s face when I said that. It was one of shock and annoyance. “Then he viciously attacked me, so I had to defend myself.” 

Opie laughed. I really liked his laugh, it was joyful and unfortunately, he didn’t do it often enough. “He was rubbing his stomach and said something about how hard your punch was as he made his way back to the garage.”

Jax had taught me to defend myself when I was younger. I hadn’t had to use it until then and obviously, he did a good job. “I’m glad. Maybe he will remember not to fuck with me again.” I joked as I started packing my stuff. It was getting hot on the roof and I didn’t just mean Opie. If I was hot with my light clothing, I couldn’t imagine how Opie felt in his black leather kutt. “Care to join me down in the clubhouse for a drink?” I asked as I stood up, wiped off my bottom, and waited for Opie.

We made our way back to the stairwell and Opie grabbed my arm; he pulled me against him. My heart pounded hard in my chest and I found it hard to breathe. Before I could say anything, Opie’s lips crashed into mine. One of his hands held the small of my back while the other was entwined in my hair. I dropped my bag and wrapped my arms around him and moved closer to him. It felt as if our kiss slowed the world down and that it lasted forever. This kiss was different from the one the night before. It was still passionate, but it was less tentative and more wanting. 

When we finally parted, I had to catch my breath. _Wow!_ I thought to myself. “That was really nice,” I muttered more to myself than to Opie. 

“Yeah, it was. Just like last night.” He smiled down at me. 

I thought about the note on my windshield. “So, making a move on me last night was far better than what you had to deal with last night, huh?” I snatched up my bag and pulled open the door to the clubhouse, the cool air from inside the building felt good. 

Something flashed across Opie’s face. "You don’t even know how much better it would have been. I stand by what I said last night Nora.” Opie stopped; his hazel eyes studied me. “I still think you’re stunning.”

I sucked the corner of my lower lip into my mouth and chewed on it as I processed his words. They were words I had longed to hear, especially from Opie. “You’re easy on the eyes as well Ope. Oh, who am I kidding? I think your fucking hot.” I smiled up at him. He grinned down at me, making my stomach do a sudden flip. 

“You have any plans this weekend Mermaid?” He asked. I wondered if Opie was going to ask me out. 

I was about to say nothing because that was general M.O., but I remembered I had made drunken plans with Tara. “Actually…I do. I am having a girls’ night in at Jax’s place with Tara on Saturday night.” I smiled at the thought of building a better relationship with Tara. It was nice to have someone around who understand what it was like to be involved in the club and its members. Gemma was fine enough but she didn’t understand; she was the queen and never issues with things. Or at least she never acted as she did. 

We made our way through the hallway that held the dorms. “Hmm.” Opie ran his hand over his beard. “I was looking for someone to hang out with the kids.” He was teasing me. I knew damn well the kids wouldn’t be back for another week and a half. 

“Bummer.” I shrugged my shoulders and smirked. “Maybe I could hang out with them afterward or on Sunday,” I suggested as we walked into the bar room. 

“We’ll figure something out. They really like you.” Opie winked at me before making his way over to the bar. 

I was about to join him, but Gemma called my name from the doorway. I sighed and made my way to the door. 

“Hurry up sweetheart! The car is running with Abel in it. We’re going shopping.” Gemma barked in her normal impatient style. 

“Alright! Alright!” I shook my head. I swear I heard Opie and Half-Sack’s chuckles from behind me. _Huck it up, assholes._ I thought to myself. 

The rest of my afternoon was spent with Gemma shopping for food for the dinner party she was throwing the next day. I loved our family dinners. I never thought I would be saying it, but I had really missed them. The last one that I had been to was just before I left for New York. There was some sort of drama going on between some of the members; I was never privy to which members, but the tension could have been cut with a knife. So, it would be nice to replace the crappy memory with some new happier ones. 

When Gemma finally brought me back to my car it was dark outside. I was going to head into the clubhouse to hang out for a bit, but all bikes were gone. My only assumption was that they were out on club business. I had really just wanted to see Opie again. I had decided to head home after a brief contemplation of what to do. I had been at home and I never knew if being at the clubhouse when the guys came back would be a good thing after they were on a run, so going home would be the best idea. I knew and accepted my place when it came to SAMCRO’s business and tried to avoid it if I could. One of the many things that Gemma had drilled into my head at a young age; as did my dad, although he was a bit gentler about it and tried to make up for miss out on things in my life because of SAMCRO. So, home it was.

* * *

“Hello?” I mumbled into the phone as I rolled over in my bed. I had stayed up late working on Ellie and Kenny’s paintings of Donna. I had them both sketched out on the canvases. I would likely have them finished before they got home from their aunt’s house. However, if I did I didn't know when I would give them to the kids. 

“Sweetheart, where are you?” Gemma’s annoyed voice erupted in my ear. 

“What?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes and glanced at my clock. _Shit, it was after 2 o’clock_. Gemma had asked me to be at her place by 2 pm. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I guess I forgot to set my alarm last night. I was working on gifts for Ellie and Kenny. Give me twenty minutes and I will be there.” I sat up in bed and stretched out my body a bit. 

Gemma exhaled, I could tell she was smoking. “Twenty minutes is all you get Nora.” There was a tone of amusement in her voice before she said her goodbyes and told me to hurry my ass up. 

I pulled myself out of bed. I really needed to stop pulling all-night art sessions. I quickly dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top that had a sheer lace back. I opted for comfort versus sexy when I grabbed my black converse low tops out of the closet. I threw my hair up in a messy bun and put on some mascara before dashing out the door. 

I made it to Gemma and Clay’s house in record time. There were a few cars in the driveway already along with Gemma’s Cadi. I walked into their house and felt like I was home all over again. When I was younger I had spent quite a few nights at Gemma’s house when my dad was out on club business. 

“Hey, I am here,” I called out from the front door before making my way towards the kitchen. I knew that was where Gemma was held up.

“We’re in the kitchen sweetheart,” Gemma responded from inside the house.

I couldn’t help but wonder who _we_ were. It was probably some croweaters, however, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was Luann and Tara. They were both busy getting things together for the meal. It seriously took an army to feed SAMCRO. When I was at Gemma for dinners, I sort of felt like I was in the 1950s. Women were in the kitchen while men were out doing other things. 

“I am so sorry I’m late. I got super involved in a project for Ellie and Kenny.” I smiled apologetically.

Gemma gave me a hug and then handed me a bag of potatoes and a knife. “It’s fine, baby. Just start in on those.” She nodded at the bag of nodded at the bag that was in my hand. 

I made my way to some free counter space next to Tara. I was so thankful she was there. “How were you feeling after the other night?” I smirked. I drank less than she did and still woke up with a headache; I couldn’t imagine how she felt.

Tara shook her head. “I surprisingly felt okay. I mean I had a bit of a headache, but otherwise, I was okay. How did you feel?”

First thing I thought about was Opie and the kiss. I could feel my cheeks warm. “The same. Just a headache in the morning and then was fine. If I hadn’t felt decent, I don’t think that I would have been able to make it through an afternoon shopping with Gemma.” 

I prayed that my blushing cheeks would go unnoticed and gave Tara a side glance, but she was busy mixing whatever she was making. Thank goodness. I didn’t want to risk things getting about whatever Opie and I were about to step into with Gemma around. She would act like she wouldn’t say anything to anyone, but she would tell Clay. It would get out before we even decided what was going on between us. 

Thankfully the rest of dinner prep was filled with quiet chatter about Abel, the ongoings of Caracara, and my latest projects I was working on. It wasn’t long before the house was filled with the smell of roast and other baked goods. It was as if the guys could smell the food as well. The sounds of Harleys pervaded the house; and made my stomach dance. I knew Opie was on one of those bikes. 

I leaned up against the counter and took a drink of my beer to try to calm my nerves. Fuck, why did he make me so nervous. I was never that way around Jax or any other guy that I had liked. Ugh, I couldn’t wait to see him! The guys all filed in the back door. Clay swept Gemma up into a kiss and she swatted him away. I could feel a goofy smile across my face. I liked seeing them interact so carefree like that. 

I looked away from them and upright in time to see Opie walk through the door. _Fuck_. My heart skipped a beat when he smiled at me and gave me a quick wink. 

Before we could say anything to each other my dad pulled me into his arms. “How are you doing Nori?” He asked after letting me out of his embrace. 

I smiled at my dad. “I’m good Daddy. Staying out of trouble.” 

My dad chuckled. “I did not doubt that. You realize that we haven’t really had a chance to spend any time together since you have been home. You want to go for a ride this weekend?” 

What was it, ask Nora on a date weekend? I thought to myself. “Actually, I have some plans this weekend.” 

My dad raised his eyebrows at me and then glanced over at Juice. I followed his gaze. Juice frowned at us. I shrugged quickly before my dad turned back to me. “Too bad. Sometime soon then sweetheart.” He kissed my head before Gemma shooed him out of her kitchen. 

Dinner turned out to be a hit. Of course, most of Gemma’s dinners were fabulous. This one seemed to stick out to me than all the other SAMCRO dinners I had, had in my life. I couldn’t pin it down to one moment or a single reason why. It might have been that I was just happy to be back in Charming and that I had missed the feeling of being home. It could have also been that I was finally experiencing some contentment and security again.

After dinner was over I went to go sit in Gemma’s garden. It was shaping up to be a lovely evening. A lot of the others had come out as well. I leaned back in one of the chairs and closed my eyes. I listened to the happy voices fill the air. I let out a deep sigh. That was what life should be like…the feeling I had right at that moment. Someone sitting down in the chair next to me pulled me from my contented reflection.

“Oh, hey Dad.” I smiled lazily at him.

“Hey Nori. So, what is going on with you and Juice?” He asked me straight out. Well, there was no beating around the bush with him was there? 

I snorted before straightening up in the chair. He had never questioned me about guys I been interested in or was seeing before. It made me uncomfortable, even if I didn’t have anything going on with Juice. “Absolutely nothing Dad. Juice and I are just friends. We don’t have anything going on.” 

He looked at me as if he didn’t believe me. “Are you sure about that sweetie?” 

An incredulous laugh erupted from me. “Yes. I am very sure that Juice and I have nothing going on. Dad, come on. What is this all about?”

My dad turned one of his rings on his finger before looking up at me. “Nor, I just want to be sure that you are making the right decision for yourself. I would hate to see you get caught up in something here; when your dreams have always been bigger than Charming.” His brown eyes studied me briefly. 

I smiled at my dad. “Right now, Charming is the only place I want to be. And if I get caught up as you so eloquently put it maybe it was meant to be and if not then it will be fine.” I glanced up to see Opie and Jax chatting close by us; he gave me a quick wink and smirk when Jax turned to talk to Tara. God damn that man had my mind all jumbled. 

“I just don’t want to see you throw your dreams away Nora.” My dad reiterated.

“Alright, Daddy. I get it.” I sighed before rising and kissing his cheek. My feeling of contentment gone. “I think I am going to call it a night. I love you, Daddy.” I knew he was really just looking out for my well-being and best interest. I had always dreamt of being anywhere but Charming. However, being home after being away for so long made me rethink that. It wasn’t the fact that I was running from my past either. I wanted to be in Charming. I wanted to see where things went with Opie. 

“I love you too kiddo.” He gave my hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. 


End file.
